Silencing the Negativity to Unleash Greatness

Imagine what we would all accomplish if we didn’t listen to the negative voices in our head. You know, that part of the brain that feels like the guy looking in from the outside and just spouting off negative commentary like “you can’t do it”, “you’ll never be good enough”, or “you’re bad at that.” For me, my subconscious gets the best of me. I grew up thinking I was shy, letting my parents tell people I was shy, letting everyone believe it (including me) mainly because I had that little voice telling me I was just a shy kid. I used the word shy as a crutch to mask the voices in my head telling me that what I have to say or share “isn’t good enough”, “it won’t resonate with the people around you” or “people are going to judge you.” I have had these experiences all too often in both my childhood and adult life.

Until now.

Since September 2013, I wanted to share a 30 day blogging series of how I found my niche. However, between my subconscious holding me back from sharing some of my most personal experiences, mixed with a touch of procrastination and hectic schedule, I kept putting it off. Whether you have been following along or not, from January 2013 thru May 2014, I have accomplished a lot of great things with The Niche Movement that I am proud of including:

- building a contributing editor base and community of movers and shakers,

- hosting several #NicheStory interviews,

- providing workshops and keynotes for schools like Steven’s Tech, University of Illinois and not to mention a TEDx talk this past winter,

-  growing a tribe that has reached 1,500 unique views per month to The Niche Movement website.

There was something still missing and my subconscious was holding me back. Over this entire 18 month journey questions like “am I good enough?” or “will people care what I have to say?” all too frequently popped into my head.

Today, July 8th 2014, I can say those questions can be put to rest.

How did I get here though? It wasn’t some magical pill or quick fix. It started with a conversation with my good friend Stacy Rinaldi Campesii. Stacy and I worked together at Centenary College where I also attended graduate school in 2006-2008. Stacy also works in students affairs but the one thing we have in common is our passion for leadership.

When I met Stacy, she had recently been hired as the Coordinator of First Year Programs and led a group of first year student instructors at Centenary College. She was a great mentor to her students, and created processes and programs that were innovative and engaging. However, her role at Centenary was only a stepping stone that led to a greater vision that I have been so fortunate to see unfold.

Since she left her job at Centenary in 2009, her and her husband Chris took new jobs and moved outside of Washington, DC. She has held two different jobs in education, but there was still something missing. This past fall, Stacy decided to push her comfort zone and start taking classes to receive a certification and become a professional life coach.

Courtney and I have visited with Stacy and Chris quite a few times over the last year, but the trip we had to DC over Memorial Day weekend is where Stacy unleashed her new knowledge of being a life coach and put her passion for leadership to the test.

The subject: me.

Over dinner at their house, we started with our usual small talk, sharing recent stories about our dogs and quickly moving onto the unfulfilling stories of both of our jobs. Sure enough The Niche Movement came up and I politely shared some modest updates, but was still not super excited to be talking about it. That’s when Stacy’s life coach hat was put on and started asking some powerful questions.

See before this conversation, I always had a limited view of my work with The Niche Movement that if I took this “full time” I wouldn’t succeed or I would not be able to make a living from it. Since I was a junior in college, in Professor Singh’s class, I would always tell myself I wanted to be an entrepreneur. But, I never believed I had it in me to actually do it.

Through Stacy’s questions and advice, we started to identify my vision and what I value. Stacy helped me start to recognize that I need to be in an environment where I can carry out my own vision. I also started to realize that a lot of my values like being flexible, honest, hard working, genuine, authentic, autonomy, leadership, and loyal didn’t match up to my current environments. Too often than not, I didn’t believe in myself or stick up for my vision. I also realized that I was making a lot of assumptions in life. Those voices in my head would comment on an interaction with a friend or colleague and always make me think the worst of the situation. I can’t tell you how great it feels to not let those assumptions control me anymore.

I left that conversation with a refreshed look on life and The Niche Movement. I had motivation and drive like I have never had before. I decided that now more than ever is the best time to start writing everyday and put myself out there. Throughout my life, especially the last 8-10 years, I’ve had so many great people around me that I needed to thank and share how they influenced me.

Stacy, is by far one of the biggest catalyst for every post that I have published since June 5th. Since our talk in May, she has continued to encourage me and help lay out a very detailed plan for me to be able to listen to my own advice and achieve my own happiness. Stacy has helped quiet my subconscious to the point where I now feel invincible. Prior to this, there has only been a handful of times in my professional and personal life where I have felt this way. With her help, I felt like this since May 24th and I don’t see it going away anytime soon.

Tomorrow, you will read my 30th blog post that will reveal how I found my niche and how I am going to achieve my own happiness.

What they taught me:

Stacy has taught me how to silence the negative voices and comments I was creating in my own subconscious. By teaching me how to cope with this she has unlocked great potential I never knew I had. Stacy has also taught me that it’s ok to talk it out. We have this culture that makes you feel shameful for talking things out with someone. Particularly, men are told to keep their mouths shut and keep it in. My experience with Stacy has taught me that it is much better to let things out.

How they inspired me:

I always knew Stacy was a rockstar, but it wasn’t until she found her passion in coaching that I got to see her true potential. Not only is she teaching me how to better handle my negative assumptions, but she is inspiring me by showing me what happens when you match your skills with the right career.

#NicheTip:

I’ve said it plenty of times, the whole career development process from job searching to dealing with colleagues to getting the next promotion, it is not easy. We often go at it alone, and when we are alone we are more prone to the negative thoughts creeping in telling us we’re not good enough. If you want to live the life you love in the career you love, you need to be open to getting help. Whether it’s getting help on a project or finding a helpful listener, seeking help is not just ok it’s recommended.

Day 28: The Remarkable Story of The Passion Project Turned Start-Up

Have you ever met someone that is living their passion? Literally, someone that wakes up every day and everything they do is aligned with a purpose they care deeply about. As I inch closer to my grand finale (just two days away) I have to share a story about someone that I admire, someone that is a living breathing example of The Niche Movement. Amanda Morrison must of woke up one day and just decided she was sick of seeing people ‘sit home’ in one of the most culturally rich cities in the world (NYC). So she decided she was going to use social media to show everyone all the amazing things that happen in life when we make that choice to ‘not sit home.’ And the beta version of what is now a thriving campaign, #DontSitHome, was born. I am getting a little ahead of myself though, let’s first go back to the beginning… On the first day of school I bumped in to an old high school friend, Ashley, and she asked her for a spoon so she could eat some soup she heated up. I gave her a spoon and Ashley escorted me up to the 4th floor of the residence hall to introduce me to her roommate - Courtney Stone. If this was How I Met Your Mother, this would be a pretty momentous occasion...but it’s not so I digress. Courtney was already settled into her room because she was on the tennis team and got to move in a week early. I stayed and hung out in their room and on their floor for pretty much the rest of the day because I didn’t want to spend time with my roommate or be “that kid on the quiet floor.” At whatever point that I felt like I outdid my stay, I went across the hall and met their “neighbors” Kristin Coleman and Amanda Morrison. Amanda was from Hillsborough, NJ and played softball for FDU. Next, I met Sameer, CJ and several other guys on that floor.

Eighty-percent of my first year at college was spent on the fourth floor hanging out with Sameer, Courtney, Amanda and several other friends. Our friendship extended into that summer where Courtney, Amanda, myself and my friends all went rafting. Throughout the next three years we all went down separate paths while still staying connected - Amanda had her successful softball career while earning a degree in Legal Studies and Pre-Law, Courtney started a peer educator program and became president of her sorority, and I started a marketing club and Habitat for Humanity chapter. Courtney and Amanda reconnected senior year when they both studied abroad in Costa Rica.

After graduation, we would run into Amanda periodically at the bars in Morristown and catch up where we could ask questions like “How’s your job?” and we would all would have very boring answers. In 2010, Amanda landed an amazing job as an Intellectual Property Coordinator at a prestigious newsgathering organization. From the outside looking in, you would see that Amanda was onto a successful career. However, when she moved to Hoboken, something changed for her.

In her group of friends, she was the one coordinating fun outings and sharing the up and coming events happening in the New York City metro area. Everyone around her would say things like “How did you know about that?” or “Wow, that’s awesome, I would never think to do that.” Amanda started to think about this feedback and drum up some ideas that matched her adventurous lifestyle and passion for meeting new people. In October 2012, right before Hurricane Sandy, Amanda launched her blog and shared her first Don’t Sit Home post. This is where it gets good...

Finding deals, events, and the newest spots to check out in NYC came easy to Amanda. Over the next several month’s, Don’t Sit Home grew. And it grew fast. She harnessed the power of social media to spread her adventures in real time on her Facebook and Instagram accounts. After Hurricane Sandy she was volunteering and using her Instagram handle and iPhone to provide real-time journalism and updates to her followers.

Within a few short months, Amanda became known as the Don’t Sit Home girl. A few months after that in April 2013, she was hosting a launch party in Hoboken as she hit 3,000 Facebook fans. Today, Don’t Sit Home is at 8,743 and all of that traffic is coming from organic social media strategies. Check out this picture of Amanda playing kickball with Olympian Ryan Lochte!

The amazing thing is that Amanda was building something bigger than herself all while working full-time. Her evenings and weekends were spent living life and finding the next experience to share with her followers. She may not have realized at the time, but Amanda was on the verge of disrupting one of America’s oldest traditions, the old lifestyles and entertainment publications of years past. She reinvented the way young professionals were finding out about things to do and places to go in NYC and Hoboken. Not only was it incredible content, but it worked! It has definitely inspired Courtney and I to be more adventurous and not sit home. I know we aren’t the only ones.

From kayaking to concerts and everything in between, Don’t Sit Home is your guide for finding fun if you are in your 20’s and 30’s.

The big announcement came on May 20th of this year when Amanda messaged Courtney and I to share the news that she ripped off the bandaid and quit her prestigious job with one of the world’s oldest news publication to launch Don’t Sit Home full-time. Talk about diving into your passion! We were not surprised at all to see her take the big jump, and we see nothing but success for Amanda’s future with Don’t Sit Home. She is disrupting industries like event planning, event photography, journalism, and entertainment publications. Scaling the Don’t Sit Home movement is what the world needs and wants, and Amanda is the perfect person to do it.

What They Taught Me:

I know it would be naive of me to assume that every single day is perfect and filled with fun for Amanda. I know that what she is doing requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but like most experts, Amanda makes it look easy. She has taught me that you can not only love what you do, but you can actually have a blast doing it. That’s what has made the Don’t Sit Home campaign so successful, Amanda’s genuine passion for opening people’s minds to experiencing the world around them.

How They Inspired Me:

Everyone says follow your dreams and do what you love. Heck, I say that! Amanda doesn’t need to say those things, she is showing all of us how. Just like I talked about how Nina has shown me to trust your gut and take risks, Amanda inspires me to do the work you love. She inspires me to put the work into The Niche Movement because I know that it will all be worth it. I may never play kickball with Ryan Lochte, but I know that my rockstar moment will come if I continue to put the work into it.

#NicheTip:

I often meet young people that don’t think it’s possible to start their own business or follow their passions. Next time you are doubting yourself, think of Amanda. If you have an idea that is new and creative, and you are passionate about that idea, then you need to go after it. Know that you will need to put in a lot of hours, but if you are willing to work hard then there is no reason you should give up on an idea before it even has a chance to breathe.

Day 27 - Sometimes It's More Dangerous To Be Cautious

When it comes to young people doing what they love we often send mixed messages that can be confusing. On one hand we have our commencement speakers and graduation cards filled with inspirational messages telling young people to go after their dreams. Yet on the other hand, when the graduation bash is over and reality has set in, we tell young people to do whatever they can to get a job. We are trying to be helpful, but we nudge them towards the first employer that offers a paycheck and job security. This is a problem. Young people have the best possible environment and circumstances (most of the time) to take risks, big risks! Someone in my life that has always lived life to the fullest and is living proof that taking risks can end well, is my friend Nina Duong.

Nina grew up in Texas, and attended University of North Texas. When she enrolled in college she also enlisted in the army as a means to pay for college. Her college experience included all the great times in and out of the classroom like many other students, but it also included a tour of duty in Iraq. When she returned from Iraq she took on more responsibility in the residence life department in a new position they created for her. She loved her experience as a student leader and had incredible mentors at UNT, and so she decided she would go into Student Affairs. Which sets us up for Nina’s first (of many) leaps of faith.

Nina had been doing a lot of research on graduate schools and had a list of about 4 schools that she was going to apply to. On the day she needed to submit her list of schools to receive her GRE test scores, she says she vividly remembers working in the residence life office that day. She received 3 different calls from either students or parents from NJ. She took it as a sign, looked up which student affairs grad program was in NJ, saw Rutgers had a program and added it as her 5^th and final choice on her list.

Nina is pretty amazing so, many graduate programs were recruiting her. When she came to Rutgers she interviewed for a graduate position with my wife Courtney. The position was brand new, so Nina had to decide on the position based solely on the interview and a belief that this would work out. After falling in love with the faculty, and an instant connection with Courtney she took another leap of faith. She turned down some pretty killer offers at other programs and packed her bags for New Jersey!

When Nina arrived, Courtney convinced her to play on the softball team. I can still remember the first game of the summer before Nina arrived at the field Courtney was telling me and some friends, “I invited my new grad to play. She says she is terrible at softball but she is an Iraqi war veteran how could she possibly be bad at softball?” Nina was AWFUL at softball, but she brought the same excitement and enthusiasm that she brought with her to New Jersey onto the softball field. She came to every game, gave it all she got, and when our team made it to the championship she gave one of the best pep talks I have ever heard in my entire life.

Nina could have easily said, “why would I apply to Rutgers, I know nothing about that program?” Or, “why would I take a new position in a brand new grad program when I can go into an existing position at a grad program with a long standing tradition?” Or, “why would I play softball if I am terrible?!” But, Nina doesn’t second-guess things, she just goes for it.

The best example of this has come to fruition in the last year since she graduated from her masters program. When Nina graduated she had one of the best resumes of any grad looking for jobs that same year. She had residence life experience, leadership and training experience, she is a veteran, and she had experience with the multicultural offices on campus. Her resume was incredible, perhaps better than some folks that have been in the field a few years. Much like she was in high demand for graduate programs, Nina could have easily had her pick of jobs when she graduated with her masters in student affairs. But, Nina had a big idea and she had to go after it. After one night out with her friends Nina came up with an ingenious idea for packaging cosmetics. I am no expert in this area, but Courtney and her mom tell me it’s a really good idea. One of those, “why didn’t I think of that?!” type of ideas. Nina also possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and felt like if she was going to make this idea happen she had to do it now. First, she took some of the money she earned from her service in the war and traveled the world. She knew these experiences would help to not only clear her head and prepare her for this new entrepreneurial endeavor, but again she thought, “when else will I have the opportunity to travel like this?” When she returned she got right to work on her idea. She now works part-time for Apple as a means to pay the bills, but spends the rest of her time working on her new business idea.

Nina can always dust off her student affairs resume. There are folks that would love to have Nina join their team, and if/when she’s ready to work in higher education they will be lined up with opportunities for her. But, Nina is young, and so she is using her twenties to travel, learn more about herself and the world, and she’s taking the plunge on a bright idea.

What they have taught me:

Nina has taught me to trust my gut. She has this unbreakable belief that things happen for a reason. She has taught me to find the silver lining in things and to take more risks. She also serves as an amazing example when I am working with young professionals that need to hear it’s ok to take risks. I will often tell them about Nina as a way to encourage them to push outside their comfort zone and find something they love to do.

How they have inspired me:

I can’t spoil the ending just yet, but let’s just say that day 30 I will be announcing some big news for The Niche Movement. Nina has inspired me to take big leaps of faith and trust the process. If you are a good person and you work hard, you will come out the other end ok. The ride may be a little bumpy and may take some twists and turns you don’t anticipate, but at the end of the day you will make it. When I think of Nina I am reminded of this, and I can’t help but be inspired to do what I love.

#NicheTip:

Take risks. You are only young once in your life. When you have a mortgage and a family and more bills to pay it becomes harder and harder to take risks. Trust your gut, and go for the job that fulfills you and not just your bank account. You will gain incredible insight, perspective and life experiences from the risks you take in your twenties and thirties that will set you up for success later in life. Remember this, sometimes it is more dangerous to be cautious. Not all career paths look alike. Look at Nina’s path, it’s completely unconventional. Maybe you’re first step is doing some volunteering or working abroad. Look for a variety of different opportunities, not just the ones on your university’s career search site. And if you need a good pep talk, send Nina a tweet her handle is @sillybanina.

Day 26 - How a Movement Gains Momentum After Year One

In the first few months when I launched The Niche Movement, I initially wrote a handful of blog posts from “Leadership Lessons from Jay-Z” to “Skip Your Career Fair 30 Under 30 List”. In the beginning the blog posts were infrequent and I only wrote “when I had time.” Looking back on my “How I Found My Niche” series, I’m realizing blogging doesn’t take require more than 45-60 minutes of your time. Sure, writing day in and day out, it can add up, but when you have something you are passionate about, writing comes easy. In January 2014, a year after launching and building a tribe nationwide, I wanted to provide more content to The Niche Movement’s audience. After doing some research, I noticed that sites like the Huffington Post and Post Grad Problems provided content that was built on other contributing editors and bloggers. Second, on a weekly basis, I have people that stumble across the Niche Movement that want to help or have an idea that will resonate with twenty-somethings. Lastly, I wanted to give others a chance to share their real-world experiences and advice that aligned with the purpose of The Niche Movement.

In less than 6 months, we now have 12 contributing editors and have a total of 55 blog posts. In this time we have established a blogging schedule where we release at least one new blog post per week and have tripled our audience outreach.

The one contributing editor who has been the backbone of this new initiative and success has been Amma Marfo. Amma is is the Assistant Director of Student Activities for Involvement and Assessment at Emmanuel College in Boston, MA. Her values are completely in line with The Niche Movement and what I personally believe - specifically finding a career path that suits students skills and talents.

Getting to know Amma over the last several months, I have learned that she is a lifelong learner and avid reader/writer. At the top of her resume, aside from her full-time job at Emmanuel, is her accomplishment in writing her first book called “The I’s Have It: Reflections of Introversion in Student Affairs.”  See, Amma has a very eloquent writing style and has the amazing ability to take a recent book she has read and extract out the important or relevant pieces that will provide real world advice to college students. She has packaged her six blog posts into a “See What Sticks” series on our site.

One of my favorite See What Sticks blog posts Amma wrote was “Questlove’s Guide to Success at the Office.” In this post, Amma shared Questlove’s story for his love of music that has translated into a love of life and career advice. The biggest advice that Amma shared in this post that correlated to Questlove’s journey is that it may not be your first job out of college that will allow you to build your masterpiece but you will learn skills that will help you create it in the future.

After reading and sharing posts like this one with our audience, I cannot thank Amma enough for her sharing her wisdom to help recent graduates succeed in the real world. As I reflect on the decision to create a contributing editor style of writing for the Niche Movement’s blog, I am so thankful that talented writers like Amma are using The Niche Movement as a venue to inspire others. I created a platform for others to share their ideas, wisdom, experiences, and real-world advice and it is people like Amma who are taking this platform to the next level. Amma is not only helping build her brand, but she is offering much needed advice to an issue that too many young adults need to hear.

In addition to Amma’s writing skills, she also shares the same amazing qualities that several of the people I have already introduced possess: she is a connector, genuine, insightful, and most importantly, cares about other’s success. Because of these super powers, I invited Amma to be featured in our May #NicheStory interview and she graciously accepted. During the interview, we talked introversion as it relates to the job search and networking - a subject we are both passionate about. The great piece of advice Amma offered, is that people who are introverted are generally great at listening and storing information away for a future time. Introverts need to take advantage of this skill and use it to their advantage while in interviews and networking settings.

As we get closer to day 30 in this blogging journey you have seen how an idea that was created with a passion for helping college students has grown into what it is today. When you take a step back, The Niche Movement really began simply with the meetings in my office with students that needed career advice. Then it grew when I would go to a campus and speak to students, and grew more when I had our first virtual cohort. However, adding this component of contributing bloggers has amplified the message in ways I could have never done so alone.

What They Taught Me:

The experience of bringing Amma and other talented writers on board has opened my eyes up to a much better content creation model. Now when students go to the Niche Movement for advice they can find a wide variety of perspectives and ideas around the concept of finding their niche. Amma particularly offers our audience that identifies as introverts, excellent advice and helpful tips.

How They Inspired Me:

Amma has inspired me to write and to write often. As I near the end of my 30 day blogging journey, I have not only created a habit but a passion to write at least once a week and not just for the Niche Movement but for other blogs and for bigger projects. Getting to know Amma this year has been an opportunity that has helped me get closer to finding my niche, and has lead me to a new and exciting project I will be announcing on day 30.

#NicheTip:

If you have a passion for something or a vision, don’t rely solely on yourself to execute that vision. Find ways to include others in the process and you will not only be creating opportunities for others, but most importantly they will bring new life and diverse perspectives to the table. Your audience will appreciate the well-rounded content you provide. A movement may start with one person, but it only gains the momentum necessary to create change with the help of others.

Day 25 - Could Twitter Lead You Onto The Set Of A Documentary? It Did For This Student

In day 22’s post on Monday, I introduced Katie Bean as one of the biggest activators to help spread the Niche Movement when I launched it in early 2013. Because of Katie’s support, I was introduced to Nikki Uy. Nikki was a student at St. Joseph's University, when she was accepted into our first Niche Movement online cohort program in the spring of 2013. When I met Nikki, she was your typical student leader: - led a group of volunteers to teach ESL

- part of the school’s chapel choir

- Dean’s list

- and was part of the peer educator program.

Within the first few weeks of working with Nikki, I realized that as a junior in college she was close to finding her niche but didn’t know how to take the next step. She has a passion for speech therapy and teaching English as a second language to others. Specifically, Nikki wanted to learn how to help others tell their story by participating in our program. In reality, what Nikki needed, was a way to tell her story first, before she could help others tell their story.

I am a very big advocate for young adults to leverage digital networking and social media tools while keeping in mind that face to face conversations still is still the most valuable form of communication. On paper Nikki had a great resume from her extra-curricular experience at St. Joe’s, but she was missing a digital footprint. She was not on Twitter and had only reactivated her Facebook account to connect with others in our cohort. She didn’t have a LinkedIn profile, blog or any real significant presence online. Here was a young woman that had accomplished so much, yet if someone searched for her name online they would find nothing.

This happens to all too many student leaders. Employers look at a resume they like and then search the name online. Finding nothing is about as bad as finding a college party picture. This is why producing a strong digital identity is such a critical component of the Niche Movement, because in order to land the job you love (or start a business you love) you need to have a strong digital presence.

As part of the cohort I was leading that spring, I taught students how to not only leverage digital networking and the tools at their fingertips, but I helped them with their digital footprint. The first thing I did with Nikki was advise her to give Twitter a chance and create an account. Nikki  created an account and together, we helped her identify Twitter hashtags, accounts to follow, and weekly chats to jump into. By the end of the cohort experience, Nikki already saw the power of digital networking and advantages of putting herself out there. In June 2013, she wrote a follow up blog post for The Niche Movement sharing her experiences of how she connected with other speech therapists, graduate students, and became reassured that there was a high demand of work in this field. In her post, Nikki said  “These sort of connections, simply through reading Tweets, have reaffirmed what I want to do with my life.” That is how powerful digital tools can be for students when they understand them and how to best put them into action.

I came to find out that Nikki was also passionate about photography, videography, and documentaries. This all made sense, especially, since she was passionate about telling other people’s story. The six week program was over, but the journey of how Nikki was telling her story and getting closer to her niche was just getting started.

In the summer of 2013, going into her senior year, Nikki went on to create a well-designed about.me page and started a blog where she was documenting her life photo journalism style - something that was inspired by other writers and artists she connected with on Twitter.

Throughout her senior year, her story continued to unfold and she continued to make more connections. As many college students do, she spent a weekend unwinding and went on a Netflix binge. While she was watching ShelterMe, a documentary series that celebrates shelter pets with positive and uplifting stories, she was left so inspired and took to Twitter. Her initial tweet was favorited by @ShelterMeTV and they also followed Nikki. She then direct messaged (DM) them thanking them for the follow and mentioned where she was from and asked if there was anyway to help.

Unfortunately, Nikki didn’t hear back right away but that didn’t discourage her. She followed up about two weeks later with another DM. About two weeks after that, she received an email from Steve Latham, the director and producer of ShelterMeTv. He wanted to jump on a phone call and talk wit Nikki because now, there was an opportunity to help. Nikki and Steve connected and found out that they had a story they were shooting in Long Beach Island, New Jersey and they needed a video production assistant for the weekend.

Nikki pushed through her comfort zone and accepted the 3 day position even though she had little video experience and was a Philosophy major. This was an experience that Nikki would never forget. Her responsibilities in addition to taking pictures, included holding reflectors, posing for camera angles, and assisting the crew with errands up and down the island. She was working side by side with a crew that has worked with MTV, Travel Channel, and National Geographic. All from one tweet - how incredible?!

Nikki didn’t return to school her senior year all of the sudden planning to change her major and try and land a job in the media field. What this experience did encourage was for her to use her interest in taking pictures to tell stories (like she learned from ShelterMeTV) in a creative and artistic way. In her own words, “I basically found another niche.”

While Nikki’s story is an incredible one, the outcome is not that unusual for those students utilizing digital tools and willing to push boundaries. The reason why this story may seem so ‘unrealistic’ is because so many students are not taught how to use these tools to connect or amplify their message. We assume that as digital natives they know how to do all this, but that is simply not true.

Working with Nikki was one of the first times I got to see my two passions come together (much like she ended her story with a second niche). As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am passionate about social media and digital trends. In this experience I was able to share that knowledge with Nikki and her fellow cohort members to assist them in producing their digital footprint. The Niche Movement will never be the same after that experience, because now producing a strong digital presence is part of every conversation, workshop, keynote, etc. In fact, when I gave my first WOW Talk last November, I shared Nikki’s story while imploring other students and job hunters to follow her lead and start working on creating their strong digital presence.

What They Taught Me:

My experience working with Nikki taught me that these two worlds, ending employment unhappiness and social media/digital identity, were interconnected. She also taught me that when students say they are not a fan of social media, we can’t just say ok and back off. We need to find out why. Perhaps Nikki wasn’t into the shallow side of social media, but showing her the productive and purpose driven side open her eyes to a completely new perspective on digital tools.

How They Inspired Me:

In Nikki’s application, she said that she finds fulfillment in her work if she can make just one person smile throughout the day while retaining her positive personality. Well, her story has made me smile everyday. I have presented Nikki’s journey in various talks that I have presented over the last 6 months. She has inspired me to keep helping students and that The Niche Movement’s strategies can help young adults get closer to finding their niche early in life.

#NicheTip:

The Niche Movement showed Nikki how these platforms, apps, and technology can speed up the process of bringing people together and growing your network. I encourage both students and professionals to be using these tools. Everyone has a reason they get up  in the morning and something they care about. Use social media to amplify your message and connect with others who believe what you believe.

To read Nikki’s amazing story and connect with her, check out her blog post featured on our site.