Each Tuesday morning since 2013 I’ve published a new blog post. In several early entries I referred to “finding your niche” in life, which I will explore today in greater detail.

Some people love their work and continue doing it throughout their lives.  Will and Ariel Durant were awarded the Pulitzer Price for General Nonfiction in 1928.  Then they published The Story of Civilization, an eleven volume work created over a forty year span – between 1935 and 1975.  Clearly Will and Ariel shared a passion for historical research and writing.

I know several others who, like the Durants, have found their niche in life. Two are close friends — a yoga teacher, and a tenured university professor. Another runs his own business.  (That would be me.)

There are three magical elements to finding your niche.

First, pay attention to what you really like to do.  As Mark Twain wrote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

One of my teenage grandsons loves sports.  Since he will never be a top athlete, he is determined to become a great sports agent.  More power to him.

Second, pick an activity that you’re good at.  For several years my brother David was the Real Estate Commissioner for the state of California.  After that he earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling.

The day of his graduation David said to me, “Alan, I don’t want to sit in my office all day long, listening while people tell me their problems.”

“David, you’ve studied counseling for three years.  What did you think therapists do?”

“I’ve decided to teach other MFCC candidates how to pass the written and oral exams.”

My brother found his niche. He’d discovered something he really liked and he was also very good at. An insightful teacher, he successfully helped his many clients to pass their exams.  Our father, a former studio musician, became one of the best wind instrument teachers in the world, and continued to teach until he was 104.

The third and final element to finding your niche is to be persistent.  My fantasy when I was young was to discover one product, run one magazine ad, and in one month have sales of one million dollars with a margin of 50% so that I could retire on my half million dollar profit.

Fantasies aside, in real life I have found no short cuts to success.  Whether it’s running a business, becoming a writer, or investing in the stock market, success takes time, practice and perseverance.  After all, even Warren Buffet did not start out managing billions of dollars.

So while you have the time while hanging out at home, you might think about what you really like to do, what you are good at, and whether it is something at which you are eager to persevere.

Find your niche, or your new niche, and occupy it.

Good hunting.

Alan

Before I walk down stairs in my home, or anywhere else, I stop for a moment, grip the railing, and focus my attention.  In contrast, when I watch a TV show, I usually do something else at the same time, such as read a book.

Why the difference?

The difference is that a TV show doesn’t really matter, and if it does I can rewind and watch a replay.  But if I fall down the stairs, there is no redo.  A broken bone is a broken bone.  So when I walk down stairs, or drive, or cross a busy street, I always pay strict attention.

Years ago I was walking down stairs at a friend’s house. Even though I was holding onto the railing, I tripped about six steps from the bottom. Instinctively I grabbed the railing with both hands. Unfortunately, the part of the handrail that I grabbed was intended for decoration, and it wasn’t firmly attached.  I clung to it even as my body hit the bricks at the bottom of the stairs.  Ouch!  I screamed, and everyone in the house came running. I wasn’t badly hurt, though I suffered a deep bruise that took months to heal.

Luckily I have strong bones, or so my PE teacher in middle school told me when I was hit squarely on the ankle by an errant baseball bat.

Hanging out at home for the past month and a half, I’ve been paying attention to something else.  I like to gaze out at the beautiful garden in back while I watch the news on TV in the family room.  I’ve been noticing the trees, the ivy, and the many different hues of green.

I discovered a scrubby lemon tree even though it must have been there for years.  It has more lemons than the large, now barren, lemon tree I usually poach for lemons to flavor my salmon salad (salmon, mayo, hard boiled eggs, and lemon juice).

The trumpet tree with long yellow flowers dangling from its branches has now fully bloomed, seemingly before my eyes.  Last week it was green.  Today it’s laden with bright yellow flowers.

I also pay closer attention to what is around me when I take walks in the neighborhood, something Daveen and I try to do each day.  Tonight I finished most of my 4,000 daily steps by pacing in my home, while gazing outside. Observing the outdoors made walking inside more fun than just going through the motions.

I feel a closer kinship with the garden, having carefully observed it every afternoon since the middle of March.  I also better appreciate the tall trees in front of the house, where now a few curled brown leaves remain, to be gradually replaced by tender green leaves of Spring.

I always wonder how I can squeeze the most from my life.

Paying attention helps.

Alan