As we prepare to enter 2019, The Niche Movement team took some time to reflect. We give you tips and tricks for finding your niche all year long, but the New Year is a special time to celebrate accomplishments, to goal set, and above all to relax.
Our small but mighty team gave their two cents on what went well this year, and how they’re charting their courses in 2019. Read on to see how The Niche Movement Chief Editor Carmen Vernon is finishing out 2018 strong.
2018 was my first full year out of college. I could use the word “adulting” to describe it, but I won’t. Landing my first full-time job, moving away to the east coast elite, and striking out on my own was so much more than adulting to me.
2018 was a course correction. It was a year of figuring out what I liked, who I wanted to invest my time in, and how I wanted to be treated by others. Moving to a new city in the fall of 2017, I had four big fears:
Making new friends
Thriving at work
Finding meaning and purpose
Living over nine hours away from my mom and dad by car
I’m happy to report that I’ve conquered all four of those fears. While I still miss the old proximity of my parents—who are more like my best friends—I’ve learned that I am self-sufficient. By moving to a city where I only had one close friend built in, I learned that I could carve out meaning and purpose for myself outside of a network of friends.
In fact, I thrive when I’m by myself in my peak state of introversion. But I never respected or valued that about myself until moving to DC. That trait was always something I looked down upon. Now, I lean into it and ensure I block off time for no human contact.
It was in these moments of reflection that 2018 became:
The year I said yes to new networking opportunities, new foods, and new events that scared me
The year I learned to drop the Midwestern niceties and stand up for myself if the situation called for it
The year I found The Niche Movement
The year I handled rat infestations, cockroach takeovers, and broken HVAC systems all by myself (and the apartment maintenance team)
For 2019, I encourage the Niche community to write down their goals, but I also encourage you to write down your fears. If a goal doesn’t scare you, it’s not aspirational enough. If it doesn’t scare you, you won’t grow as a person while you pursue it.
Write down your fears, and try to conquer them this year.