Domain

Remarks

What is niche?

• Dictionary:

1. Hole in the wall to hold a statue
2. State of Being that is exactly suitable for a person

• If a person has found the niche in life, that is as good as saying he/she has found the thing in life
• It is not uncommon to hear people saying & complaining that "they just do not have time & energy to do this & that", "there are so many things to do in life", "I don't know what to do next"
• In my understanding, whether it is in research, studies, work or family, niche is the focal point in that domain; if we are not going to do anything else, niche is the only thing

What is special about niche?

• Uniqueness: the world is actually gigantic border-less place, it is in fact so large that there is always a unique, individual area for everyone of us, no matter how many that may be (remember there are countless number of living cells)
• Individuality: the world can be considered as a system and each of us a member of this system; we make up the system & the system is composed of us, our environment & various influences; as such, each of us creates, attracts, is exposed to & influences various domains of this system at any given time, space and circumstance; thus each one of us is individual, unique in our own ways
• Continuous variation: as the world system evolves, changes and manifests into dynamic new forms, the members (us) are also growing, changing, learning, thinking and feeling all the time; amidst all these evolutions, sometimes simple, but at times unimaginably complicated, holes or niches are constantly being changed; some old niches get narrowed or enclosed, new niches are opened & widened; hence, as niches are closed, the occupying members must leave, while new niches are opened, members can occupy them
• Fitness: members as living units can make the choices of which niches to occupy with some niches more suitable & others less suitable; so there is a level of fitness between niches and members; members who find suitable niches also discover that they fit the holes or niches snugly

How do we find our own niches?

• Again, the way of finding our niches is unique, but there are some general guidelines that I can offer (take them with a pinch of salt, use your heart to decide)
• Learning styles: each of us has our more inclined learning style(s) & judging by these styles, we can narrow down the scope for our niches; the learning style affects how a person interacts with the surroundings (the system) & thus relates to the mechanisms at work in the system; by following our learning styles, the members can track the opening & closing of niches for their fitness
• Active experience: constantly observing, reflecting & feeling ourselves in different situations & circumstances; watch our perceptions, attitudes, values, memory, reactions and decisions; compare them over time & relate to relevant events; figure out the underlying belief or direction that we are following sometimes in very subtle manner
• Interactions: talking to different people, finding out their experiences, sharing ours & sorting out difficulties; interactions can give valuable insights into old and new things, giving new perspectives & thoughtfulness
• Fitness: from the above learning styles, active experience and interactions, sort out our own goods and bads, ups and downs, understand what we wish to do, can do, are willing to do & the chances to do; our niches are locked within, find it yourselves

What do we do when we find our niches?

• "Do what you gonna do"
• When a member has truly found his/her niche, there is no need for others to say or do anything because the member has found his/her way to be in sync with the surroundings & would remain in homeostasis as long as the niche is opened
• But we need to do something; reduce all complexities that are unnecessary & obstructing to the niche; evaluate ourselves, change & adapt accordingly to train our focus on our niches
• An analogy: this is the same as the current trend in management - focus on the core competence, outsource the peripherals
• In research, the niche helps to narrow our relevant research scope & improve the quality of findings
• In studies, the niche helps to focus on our strengths to maintain and weaknesses to improve
• In work, the niche helps to keep up our confidence, vitality and livelihood amidst uncertainties, risks and difficulties
• In family, the niche helps to promote harmony, care & lovingness

Advice?

• We might find false niches that mislead us and deviate us from our fittest path, so be vigilant
• We can also have more than one niche, even at the same level of fitness, thus either choose one or maintain both, especially if the niches are overlapping & have a lot in common
• The world system is always changing, a niche found now might be irrelevant in the years to come, so keep up the niche-finding & remain firm but flexible
• Avoid focusing solely on the niche, we still need to remain relevant in the world system; focus on the niche, but maintain general knowledge of the world
• In short,
• Jack of All, Master of One