Have You Found Your Niche in Life?

We all have dreams of what we'd like to be, but how many of us really follow our dreams?  And when we do, are we happy?
 

We all have a niche - a place or position that is perfect for us.  In order to find that special place, we have to Believe in Ourselves.  Self-esteem is difficult for those of us in the creative fields.  Every day there's someone new who has made it to the top while we remain unknown.  Every day we struggle for our place in our field.

Creativity is a lonely area.  We need our alone time to create and follow through.  Many of us have been taught that we will not succeed.  Few of us can leave our jobs to follow our dream, and fitting our dream work in with family life and work is not easy, often frustrating.  To make it worse, the world is filled with nay-sayers, a great many in our own families.




       
And if we do publish that one book?  Sell that one painting?  Become the lead dancer in a show?
What then?  That's when the work really begins.  We've made it, now what?  Now, we must keep ourselves going and continue producing our dream works.  Let's face it.  The Humanities field is difficult and competitive, and these days with the economy there are so many wannabe's for the great money they'll be paid (not knowing as we know that only a miniscule group make 'good' money).
And that's the difference, isn't it?  We do what we do because we love it, because it gnaws at us, because it is in our thoughts, our dreams constantly.
   
You know, it doesn't matter our age - look at Christopher Paolini, who wrote the book Eragon at age 15.  James Michener was 40 years old when he published his first book Tales of the South Pacific.  What stops most of us from succeeding is our belief in ourselves, in our intuition, in our ability to make our dreams come true regardless of those people who try to tell us what's wrong with us.  Besides, we creative artsy people know what's wrong with us - a love for something outside of politics and real-life drama, a world that exists within our own minds, a desire to share our abilities with the world.

I thought perhaps it was time for more quotes to help us along, so here goes:

A great man is he who does not lose his childlike heart.  Mencius

Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.  Shakespeare

Every calling is great when greatly pursued.  Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. 

Think about it.  What are the simple pleasures that have delighted you in the past?  Thomas Kinkade

There are only two choices:  faith or fear.  (from the TV show House)

As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

It doesn't matter what other people say or do.  What matters is how you choose to react and what you choose to believe about yourself.  Louise L. Hay

And from one of my favorite famous people:

 "Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions.  Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great."  Mark Twain

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."  Mark Twain

 

"When you cannot get a compliment any other way, pay yourself one."  Mark Twain

 

"It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech."  Mark Twain

 

and finally:

 

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."  Eleanor Roosevelt

 

My friends, Believe in Yourself and dream above the clouds.  I do. 

Take time to support each other - PAWS for Success.

LHR, my wonderful friends.