WTF is a Niche?

Okay, this is my first blog post, so bear with me for this one.

I have spent countless hours, days, and weeks researching how to start a blog. I love to write, and it’s one thing I’m really good at, so this has been an idea I’ve had for a long time. I’m talking YouTube videos, other blogs, Google researching, no sleep, no mercy, researching.

While I was researching, I came across the same thing over and over again. A solid 99% of professional bloggers said I absolutely hands-down had to have a “niche” if I wanted to be a successful blogger. I HAD to find ONE TOPIC to write about. I HAD to find ONE specific audience that I would be speaking to. That was my ticket to successful blogging.

So I dabbled with this advice for awhile. And by dabbled, I mean I sat and stared at my computer screen for a nauseating amount of time, thinking about all of the topics I could write about at godspeed until I was so exhausted I just gave up and closed the damn laptop. I’m a veterinary technician and I own my own pet sitting business? I could write about that? I’m a big mental health advocate? I could write about that? I’ve had really bad dating experiences? I could write about that? What the fuck is a niche? Even more importantly, what was my niche? The word “niche” haunted my fucking dreams. I woke up in cold sweats screaming “NICHE” and panting.

Okay, that last one was just me being dramatic.

Anyway, here’s what I have now just accepted:

My brain does not focus on one topic well.

In fact, my brain doesn’t focus on the 4,383 things it thinks about at one time well, either. Which is exactly why I’m starting this blog. I don’t have a niche. I have a million of them. But if I do (or in this case write about) one specific thing over, and over, and over, I eventually get bored. When I get bored, I get burnt out. When I get burnt out, I’m pretty much useless and not very fun to be around anymore.

I would absolutely love if one day I was up there with the big-name bloggers, and I won’t lie to you, that is a huge goal of mine. But realistically, if all I get out of starting this (and paying WordPress 96 bucks for a domain) is a chance to connect with a few people out there and a creative outlet to organize my own thoughts, then in my mind what I’ve done is a success. If I can get a few people to read my posts and laugh, a few people to read my posts and cry, a few people to read my posts and think “holy shit, I’m not alone”, then I am richer than any other blogger there is out there.

So, if you are looking for a blog that is going to tell you all about how to make the best cupcakes so you can kick Sharon’s ass in the PTA cupcake competition, I’m really sorry, this isn’t for you, but best of luck and fuck Sharon. If you are looking for a blog that is going to tell you the best yoga positions to align your chakra’s, once again, you are probably not in the right place. If you are looking for a blog that talks about anything in specific, I applaud your organization and envy your normal functioning brain, but you need to just hit the “back” button.

However, if you are a person who sorta kinda has their shit together, but simultaneously has no idea what the hell you’re doing, a person who drops the f-bomb a little more than average, a person who has found yourself on more than one occasion saying “is this actually happening?”, a person who goes to their professional job blasting trap music all the way there, a person who doesn’t always follow the rules, a person who has made mistakes, burned cupcakes on more occasions than one, falls when you try to do yoga; a person who is perfectly not perfect at all…

Well then…welcome to The Organized Trainwreck.