Naming and Claiming Your True Niche

What to Release -- and Embrace -- to Succeed in Your Sweet Spot
by Kathy Caprino

Part I: Releasing Your Blocks
(Part II will be published in the next Ellia Update issue)

As many of you know, I've had a long, bumpy journey on the road to finding my true niche as a professional. From years of inauthentic (and unappealing) corporate work, to becoming a psychotherapist and coach yearning to find my true "sweet spot," my path was filled with blocks and fears about "naming and claiming" who I am in the professional world. Finally, I can say I've discovered exactly what I love to do and for whom (at least, for the present), and am doing it.

In overcoming my challenges in finding my true niche, I am now focused on helping others do the same. Throughout these years, I've observed what it takes shine in your chosen area - how to be one of the best in your selected niche, and be confident enough to market yourself powerfully and rise above the competition.

What do you need to do, as a coach, consultant, or other helping professional, to name and claim your niche?

Below are essential steps, in the form of what you need to release -- and to embrace -- to move forward:

(This article will be published in two consecutive parts. This issue presents Part I - What to Let Go Of. The next issue will explore Part II - What to Say Yes! to)

Part I - Releasing Your Blocks:

Take the time to uncover if you have any of the following traits or behaviors that are holding you back, then let them go:

1) Traces of narcissism - Thinking you're the best without doing the necessary work
Being the best requires effort and commitment. For instance, if you want to write a book about helping people, you must understand what the great contributors who came before you had to say. It's vital to learn what you do that's different (and better) from the rest, and bring that forward. To be the best, be open to receiving training, engaging in deep study, and receiving critiques from people you respect. You can't do this alone -- you need others to assist you on your path. The key here is to get your ego out of the equation and use a beginner's mind to learn how to be the best.

2) Insecurity - Jealousy of your competitors
I've met so many helping professionals who are insecure, jealous, and highly competitive with others in their field. Let me say here - if you're wracked with insecurity, you're not the best at your work - period. You're afraid of something (perhaps your own power, or a feeling of incompetence, or experiencing the infamous "impostor" syndrome), and that fear keeps you from growing, applying yourself, and connecting fully with others. If you feel jealous and insecure about your work, you're not alone. Find a helper (therapist, coach, teacher, etc.) who can assist you in identifying what you're most afraid of, and work through it successfully. It's just fear behind your jealousy - and fear can be neutralized if you allow yourself to feel it, and move beyond it.

3) Scarcity mentality - Worrying that there's not enough money or business
It's a waste of precious time to stop yourself from doing what you want because you think the field is glutted. Once you identify your true sweet spot, gain deep expertise in how to serve this niche effectively (perhaps differently from how you first envisioned), and differentiate yourself from others, there will be plenty of work for you. Whatever you believe in will come true, so identify your beliefs around your work, and shift away from the negative ones. If you believe you will succeed and commit yourself to that success, the chances are you will. However, if you think you'll never make money doing what you love, you'll create a reality that matches your beliefs.

4) Remaining closed to your emotions
Your emotions are your truest and best guidance system - listen to them. Watch yourself for the next month - which of your clients do you love to work with, which bore you to tears. Which areas of your work light you up? How do you do what you do uniquely? Which formats do you love playing in - teleseminars, workshops, one-on-one, large groups, etc. -- and which make you feel shaky and uncomfortable. After you've observed in yourself what you love and what drains you (and what makes you great), make a plan to move forward toward what you love. Or, if you're compelled to pursue something but remain afraid of it, get over that fear, and try it out anyway. But all along the way, learn from your emotions.

5) Being unteachable
Be open to critique, and learn, learn, learn. Find several mentors whom you trust, and ask for assistance. Read about people who have made it big in the field you love, and follow their lead (if it feels right). Avoid being overly attached to yourself, to your ego, to how you think this must unfold, and to your own timeline. As far as you can, let go of the "how's" and the "when's" and be very true to yourself, following what you love every day with openness and flexibility.

("Part II - What to Embrace To Find Your True Niche" will be published in the next issue of the Ellia Update.)

In the end, it's about making yourself right, not wrong. When you feel something deeply about your work, listen to yourself. If you find your work boring, then you're not well suited to it. If you don't like the people you're serving, you're working with the wrong audience and you need to shift it. Trust yourself!

Throughout my career reinvention, if I had listened to all the hundreds of the people who told me I couldn't do what I wanted to - e.g., transform my career, write a book, find a great publisher, be a well-paid speaker, fill workshops in this economy, have great fun and ease in my work, and make a good living - where would I be today? Miserable, burnt out, and feeling what I felt 10 years ago - "I'm breaking down." Thank goodness I honored what I felt, and didn't give credence to the naysayers.

Breakthrough is around the corner for you. Trust that you can find the way to be in the flow of yourself, be great at what you do, and make good money doing it. It's a choice to believe in yourself. Ready to make it?

For more information on coaching to name and claim your true niche, please write kathy@elliacommunications.com.

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