Niche Marketing Matters

A lot of what we do in work and life is truly meaningless. We do these meaningless things because we think that we should do them or we think that we have to do them. But, is this really true?

What if we just said no to the useless things and did what really mattered? I guess this presumes that we know what really matters. The daily grind pushes and pulls us in many directions—some or most of which may not be of our own choosing. Sometimes we go in the wrong direction or we lose our way entirely.

Determining what really matters requires a conscious investment on your part. Here is one way to figure out what really matters:

1. Close the door. Go to the park. Run away. Go to a place that allows you to think.
2. Think about the things that bring you pleasure—things that make your heart sing and things that give you intense satisfaction. It might be time with family, painting a landscape, or walking your dog. It could be helping or teaching others. It could be work. Or, it could be spiritual reflection.
3. Write these things down.
4. Visualize yourself doing these meaningful things. Ask yourself which are most important? Prioritize the list. Discard the unimportant things.
5. Keep the list on the desktop of your pc, in your wallet or purse, or posted on the wall of your office.
6. Spend your free time with others who share and support your dreams. Avoid those who don’t support you or your dreams.
7. Seek advice from people who you respect. Ask these people to be your mentors. These mentors might be more experienced, elderly, or just plain wise. Listen to them. Learn from them.
8. Tell others about your quest.
9. Read your list everyday. Update it when necessary.
10. Do what is meaningful everyday.

Live and work in a meaningful way.

John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2009 All rights reserved.

This is how comedian George Burns described a small town in the mid west that he disliked. It also describes how I feel about the current state of the economy.

If you are like me, you are getting tired of this recession or “ice age” as I have been describing it. It seems that most people have put their purchasing decisions on ice. The message for us marketers is to come back later when things are better—maybe next year.

Yes, happiness is a warm puppy, but confronting adversity and persevering is emotionally and psychologically satisfying. Successfully confronting adversity allows us to discover strengths we never knew we had. We can be drawn closer to others who share this experience; this could be existing friends and family or new friends. We may even feel wiser and more in touch with the true meaning of things by simply enduring all the problems presented.

While is true that we may never have wished for this prolonged recession, it can provide a great opportunity for personal empowerment and growth.

John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2009 All rights reserved.

Have you ever confronted a barrier or a problem that stopped you from going forward with your goals and objectives? Maybe it was because you did not have the support from your friends or family. Or, the task itself just seemed insurmountable. Whatever the barrier, it was big enough to stop you in your tracks.

In reality most barriers are psychological in nature. They may seem real, but most exist only in your mind. More often than not, we consciously or unconsciously give theses obstacles more power than we should.

Psychological barriers can be categorized into three basic buckets:

1. Trying to please others.
2. Trying to be perfect.
3. Fear of failure.

Trying to please everyone is not possible and it does not make good business sense. This behavior manifests itself as being unable to say no to an unreasonable request, or not fighting back when confronted with aggressive behaviors in others. The key to overcoming this self-destructive behavior is to monitor your own behavior and catch yourself in the act. Saying “no” is the best method to stop being a people-pleaser.

Perfectionism is rooted in a deep seated feeling of never being satisfied with what you have done or with yourself. This higher self-standard causes you undo stress and, ironically, can decrease your productivity and quality. More often than not, your initial effort on a task is just fine; further refinement or effort won’t make it appreciably better. Give yourself a break and be content with your initial efforts. For example, novelist Norman Mailer wrote with a pen on a yellow pad of paper and did not rewrite or edit his work—his first draft was always his best.

Fear of failure may be the biggest enemy of success. For many of us, failure is often avoided by doing nothing. Of course, doing nothing often just insures failure. Instead, welcome failure as a way to improve yourself rather than looking at it an exposure of your weaknesses. Confront fear of failure by determining the worst case scenario—while this scenario is highly improbable, it is empowering to know that even if the perfect storm happens, you will survive or even thrive.

Finally, consider reaching out for help when the barriers seem insurmountable. Sometimes we are just too close to the situation and do not have the skills, training, or awareness to fully diagnose and overcome our own barriers. A third party such as a coach, boss, or friend can see things differently and provide strong counsel. Listen to them.

I have yet to see a barrier so big that I could not walk around it and continue the journey. Repeat. I have yet to see a barrier so big that I could not walk around it and continue the journey.

John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2008 All rights reserved.