In life, can you be all and everything to everyone? Perhaps not….but what is possible is to find the place and corner of the world where you can be accomplished and make a difference. Marketers call this “finding your niche.”

For me, that niche is essays and music. In the essay department I try to focus on uplifting topics and subject matter that hopefully can help people along in their daily lives. With music, that involves a definition that I call, “Spiritual-Acoustic.” I have received a few e-mails asking me if I will ever do a heavy metal hard rock song….as much as I enjoy some of the music, I don’t believe it is my “niche.” When people hear the name Jennifer Avalon, I think it’s important that they know what to expect, even though from time to time I do try to push the envelope a little.

Whatever your endeavor is in life, there are always those who will voice their opinion and try to send you off in multiple directions. Like any journey, it’s very easy to get lost, and those critical voices never seem to be around to help you find your way back. So whatever you want to do with your life, try to keep it on one course…and simple….for example, “This is what I want to do, and this is where I want to go.” For that one decision that you make along the way, you will encounter those who will tell you you’re wrong. The “niche,” is the little piece of the pie that can be exquisite. The “niche,” can be your own special place on a Main Street, that people know where to go to get what you offer. We all have the specialty stores in our neighborhoods that have that one item that no one else seems to carry….their “niche.”

The “niche” can be expanded, but it is always the core starting point. Once we decide what it is we want to do, the “niche” becomes the cake that is available at every party and every function. I recently read an article about a company that only makes Christmas items. All year long they manufacture numerous products centered on that one holiday. Their focus is totally on their product and market. If you want Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Thanksgiving products, that is not their forte. And they would tell you, “our line, or niche” is specifically Christmas items.” They stay focused and busy all year long. The day after Christmas, they begin centering on next year. Believe it or not, Christmas items sell all year long!

So it’s okay to “scratch your niche,”…it shows that you’re focused, centered, and in control of the direction you’re heading in. It is the acceptance that you fully understand that you can’t be all and everything to everyone. As they say, who wants to be a “Jack of all Trades, and a Master of None?”

Keep scratching!
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon