Here’s How I Discovered My Niche As a Freelancer
And you can find yours too if you want to. It’s easier than you think.
It all started with my thoughts going back to — Why I started my 2nd career innings as a freelancer?
My daughter is the primary reason for it. And my love for financial and mental freedom the next. I had to quit my well-paying corporate job, where I was valued and looked up to as a knowledgeable person. But life came in between. We planned to move to a different country; quitting my job was the choice I’d made.
As a new mom of a toddler boy, and a little girl, I didn’t look for another job due to the lack of opportunities matching my expertise and secondly because the little one didn’t find a spot in a kindergarten. My life became monotonous and revolved around just my family. There were many days I spent regretting quitting my job and missed the swell monthly paycheck. I missed the freedom money gave me. My husband is very liberal, for that matter, and doesn’t care a dime to provide me with as much or more than what I needed. But once you’ve earned yourself through your efforts, it hurts to ask.
No offence to stay-at-home moms(SAHM) here. I genuinely understand that SAHM’s job is priceless for the time she devotes to the family with almost zero self-care. I enjoyed being there for my daughter when she returned home and treated her with homemade snacks every evening. But I felt and so did she, that I was not my cheerful self. Long story short, I wanted to set an example to her that women and especially moms need to have their life too.
“Writing,” was the obvious choice because English was my only favorite subject in school. Lol. My childhood memories are all about reading books, writing poems and short stories. I was that child who barely stepped out and happily read books at home all the time. I remember telling my parents and friends that being locked in a room with storybooks piled up till the roof was my ultimate dream fantasy. I even won a prize for topping the school in English in the 10th-grade finals.
My mom was a school teacher, so I had the advantage of accessing the school’s library books. Every Saturday after school, I headed to my mom’s school and opened the little blue cupboard in the teachers’ room full of children’s books. My mom and I walked back home with my bag filled with as many books I could pick for the weekend and read through the following week. Then next Saturday, I would repeat the same thing.
And even in my workplace, I was the one who wrote FAQs and help documentation for the team and drafted customer emails prior to a software release or customer update every week. My ex-boss even told me that they hired me after reading one of my emails I had sent to a larger audience a couple of months back when I worked for a different team in the same organization.
In my next job too, my new boss told me upfront on my face that he liked my communication skills (both written and spoken) and my positive attitude so much that I was offered the job the next day. My colleagues who applied for the same position said it took more than 2 weeks to hear back. It was flattering. More than my technical skills, my love for the language always stood out. So I knew something to do with words was my Superpower.
How to find your Superpower?
To anyone who’s stuck on finding their Superpower, try this simple exercise. Observe and try to remember what others say about you very, very often. That’s almost certainly your Superpower. It is also worth considering what books you read, or audiobooks and podcasts you listen to, as that will be one of your interest areas. Who are your friends? They are your friends because you share common interests. Find what’s that.
Once I figured I wanted to write, I am in a phase of deeper exploration right now. But I have zero doubts that I can make a living doing what I love to do the best. Writing. We are all gifted in some way is a real fact. It’s up to us to dig deeper into our persona and find the hidden gem, our Superpower.
I am working on how to find my larger goal. Should I be a short story writer because my kids love the stories I makeup or a non-fiction writer? If non-fiction, I have too many interests — technology, parenting, marketing, history, and creative writing. Oh, and I love the art of copywriting that involves a deeper study of human psychology. But I firmly believe — to write for others; first, I should prove myself that I am a solid writer who does not drown in self-doubt and is excellent in researching and articulating things.
Writing is powerful and can change people’s lives. Education and entertainment are possible through words. Selling is done mainly through words. And well, you can even sell your words.
Writing is powerful and can change people’s lives.
Am I making millions? — Not yet. Am I happier doing this than in my previous job? You bet, I am.
While it is one thing to have financial security with my husband working and a year’s worth of my savings from my past jobs, it is but another thing and so fulfilling to buy my own coffee (or makeup) when I am out and about. I am all for one family, one spending account, and contributing to finances may not be necessary at times. But tell me, whoever complains of some extra cash?
Why find your Superpower?
It is more than rewarding to get paid for doing what you love. It’s the thrill of making it happen, the thoughts of possible entrepreneurship, the power of executing ideas that won’t allow you to sleep. The nerve of putting yourself out in the world, the satisfaction of making a difference in someone’s life. The excitement of finding and interacting with new people around the world, the joy of basking in the glory of making that first $1k with just words as your investment, the ability to show the world what you’ve got, the freedom of being a mompreneur crushing her goals, the liberty of buying stuff for your kids without having to worry too much about the price, the choice of eating out and vacationing when I want, the no-rush mornings, allowing an hour extra hour of sleep, the delight of discovering new interests, the mindset of dreaming big and making it a reality (in pajamas), the sense of euphoria walking the talk about being a self-made individual…
My daughter sees my failures, my wins, my disappointments, and I want her to see them as well. Because I want her to know that it’s ok to fail, it’s ok to lose, it’s ok to pursue your dream career, but it’s not ok to stop living your dream. The wins might be slow, but they will come. I want her to see life is not always easy, and it takes multiple failures to eventually succeed. Even if success doesn’t come(it rarely happens), the journey of trying without giving up is going to be worthwhile. When we don’t give up, we have something to fight for, something to live for in life, which is the essence of human progress.
Words are my Superpower. What’s yours? Find your Superpower, and “Go, make a ruckus,” as Seth Godin, one of my favorite people, puts it.
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