I Chose The Wrong Niche & Wasted Time: Here's What Happened.
I Had a GREAT Plan.
Really. I thought it out, wrote it out, diagrammed the heck out of it, outlined, mind-mapped, & organized it to death. Riding in the wave from a nursing career that took me to many places, I was 1000% sure that this was my niche.
I Was WRONG.
I just knew that I was going to have all kinds of content to write about. From my experiences in various types of nursing, to parenting, to being a pediatric & elderly caregiver, to my own experience with various unique health-related issues. I was confident that there was plenty of content to be had, & that I could use my nursing knowledge & resources to write relevant, reliable, research-backed, engaging content on any health & medical related topic. So I got started. I did a little work each week for a few weeks & found out...Surprise! I really, & I mean REALLY HATED it.
WHY Did I Do This?
It comes down to this: I left nursing because I was 1000% burned out. I found myself deeply affected after seeing some really terrible, tragic deaths & working in a dangerous & traumatizing setting. So I decided to bow out gracefully & cut my losses in 2018. My pride kept me trying to make my identity as a nurse relevant to whatever I was doing, although I knew I had no plans of going back to work in the field. The truth & I had to come to terms. I needed to let it go. Pride & student loans makes that task difficult sometimes.
Cutting Dead Weight:
So I began to procrastinate.
I piled other work in front of my project. I'd write an article, do some of the training, & then put off work for another week. Write another article, fancy up the website a bit, & then pile other tasks in front of it. I kept this up for over a month & even got some really great work done for my Husband (which I'm so glad I did), but the point is, there is always a legit reason behind procrastination. And when I finally faced it & asked myself why I wasn't making any more real progress, I found the truth. No matter how endless my resources seemed as a nursing professional with research avenues & a broad base of knowledge, experience, & skills, it didn't change the fact that I was beyond burned out & didn't want to write, see, think, or do anything that involved nursing or health-related content. That meant I really had to face the fact that my nursing career was....over. I did. And it was SUCH A RELIEF!
Sometimes, hitting 'delete' feels GREAT.
What's Next?
I'm making progress with a new niche, which is something I've been interested in for over 25 years. It was a no-brainer, & I felt so foolish when I realized I had completely bypassed the idea. As hard as it may be to believe, sometimes a thing we have knowledge about or feel passionate about can be the wrong thing. That's why it's important to explore various niches & keep your options open. Especially in the beginning. Once you realize you are wasting time & energy on something you aren't enjoying; when something starts sucking the energy out of you & making you dread going back to it - consider it DEAD WEIGHT & ditch it.
The Lesson:
Knowing where to start is important. However, knowing when to stop can be just as important. Carrying dead weight & trying to drag along a dead project that you dislike is a waste of time & energy. It's okay to hit delete & start again. It's not failure; it's experience. You learn. You grow. You gain wisdom. You reignite the fire & you take off in a new direction.
Recent Comments
51
Wow, great post!
Were you speaking to me directly? lol
I'm thinking now... is there is a niche that fits me better, where my crazy impassioned writing can have free rein...? Where I feel comfortable and fulfilled, like your describing...
Thank you for the new thoughts!
:)
I am thrilled that you have found a niche that you like better than the one you started with.
Thankfully, WA allows us to have more than one website as part of our membership, so we can changes niches if we want.
That said, I am glad that you actually got started learning about building a website and affiliate marketing with your first idea.
I am glad that you did NOT sit around for a couple months trying to figure out what would be the "perfect niche." The first niche allowed you to start learning. It allowed you to learn more about yourself. I don't think that you wasted your time.
You have given yourself a head start on your new website. Congratulations!
Im struggling to make myself write in my website. Im just hoping mine isn't a lost cause. Since I quit my job to be home with my kids, I have been so occupied with trying to keep up my household and trying to sew and do crafts to make money I have lost my inspiration for my website. I hope your new niche works out wonderfully and that you see some return. Cheers and good luck !
I read through and felt your relief, it was tangible. I am glad you have made a decision that makes you so much more happier and I'm sure that will show in your content. Well done.
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Great post, Angela! Well said. Live and learn is right. Since I'm going to write a lot of posts, I want them to be about uplifting and fun things. It is easy to see a lot of traumatic things and experience burnout---esp in healthcare, social work, case management, first responders, etc. Congrats on being brave and hitting delete so you can move on to something more emotionally energizing. We always learn a bunch from simply trying, so I'm sure you did just that. There's a time and a season for everything. :)
All the best to you!
Colleen