There is a spoken and unspoken guideline in business: you should always be growing your business and increasing your profits. Sounds pretty good, right? This sounds like good business sense, doesn’t it? But is it always so?

Should you feel guilty if your 2006 income was not higher than that of 2005? Are you doing something wrong if it was not higher?

It is great to make money and have growing profit. But what if you find a niche in your business life that feels like home, that just feels right, and it may not always lead to growth every year? What if you make a living that takes care of your needs and some of your wants, and you are happy with what you are doing?

I say congratulations! Being comfortable in your own skin and having a good sense of who you are are not given enough credit. My masonry contractor is a great case in point. He used to have a partner and, for a while, a pretty large crew. He and his partner ended up working hard to support the crew and their families, and for that time they did poorly for themselves and had lots of headaches. Eventually they split up, and my mason has typically worked on his own ever since with one helper. He is a true artist, takes great care in what he does, makes a very good living, and never seems to have to look for work. Aside from the fact that his body is now protesting his years of labor, he has been living in his comfortable niche. He does beautiful work and has a loyal following.

Here is to finding your niche…