Searching for your niche? I always did, too. Then one day I realized that the thing I always did that came as naturally to me as breathing, was what I was meant to do on a larger scale in the world.
Helping and guiding people has always been easy for me. Don't ask me why~ I honestly couldn't tell you how or why I acquired this skill.
Many of you had talents or interests as young children, that were never recognized and nurtured by your parental units. Due to this, you grew up never giving yourself much credit for them, and yet, they exist within you like little seeds waiting to be watered, so they can germinate and grow.
I had an Uncle George who was my father's middle brother (Dad was the oldest of 3 sons). Uncle George told me back in my 20's, that I expressed myself very well thru my writing. Somehow, that stuck. A little water was given to that seed, and over the course of many years, George's recognition of my writing talent helped me recognize it in myself.
But how many of us ever received that kind of positive mirroring? I'm fond of saying, I've done everything from soup to nuts~ heavy on the nuts. I've had myriad jobs and vocations, and they each fleshed me out, enhanced my skill set and taught me more about myself and who I was. They highlighted my strengths, and that's never a bad thing, when it comes to building a solid sense of Self.
The healing work I've done for over 30 years is a direct result of life experiences I've had within other venues, as well as many years of working hard to grow, heal and enrich my own soul. You can't get to where I am today either personally or professionally, without putting in the 'elbow grease' needed, to reach this type of plateau. AND, I'm still growing and expanding, which I expect to be the case until I'm ready one day to surrender this physical body.
Look to what you did as a child with free time in your room or outside, that gave you satisfaction, peace or pleasure. These things are nearly always indicative of your true interests or talents (or both). If need be, consult with a professional who's sensitive and sentient enough to explore these domains with you, and teach you to appreciate the aspects in yourself you've never given any thought to, before now~ for this is where your true genius lies.
In short, your niche, your purpose, your passion might be right in front of your nose, just waiting to be discovered by You. Sometimes, learning what it is, can turn into an avocation that creates an additional stream of income for you, and makes your 9 - 5 daily grind considerably more bearable, because you're literally FEEDING your passion, and it's the wind beneath your wings that makes the other hours in your day more pleasurable.
Think about this. It's super-important. Allow yourself to grow-into who you're becoming~ or perhaps always were.
Thank you for writing this! I read your post on my Facebook feed this morning at work, but felt it more personal to comment on here.
The last 3 paragraphs especially resonated with me. Not having grown up with that invaluable mirroring, it dawned on me only two years ago that how I had spent time as a child (and by extension, who I was allowed to be/become when left in peace by my meddlesome parents) has actually been the truest indicator of who I am as a person. I was at a park when I had that revelation, and since then have been steadily working towards undoing and making some big changes in my life — mostly revolving around letting go of the way I relate (in a sense, relations) to people/things/situations that no longer serve me. It’s opened up so much space in my life.
And yes — the grind of work! Only recently, I (accidentally) fell back into the habit of drawing, this time designing for T-shirts. An ancient part of me has since then awoken. It felt like another lifetime where I was always engaging my creative side before I unknowingly shelved the habit. My days go by quicker now and work is more bearable now that I have this to look forward to. It really is about adding balance in these little personal ways that can make our lives feel like ours again.
Thank you very much for this article! Your posts always continue to validate me in some small way.
PS - I don't know if integrating these old/forgotten pieces and versions of ourselves is what they call shadow work. Would love to hear your opinion of it.
Thank you Shari :)