One of the quickest routes to powering up your potential is creating your own niche. Although it can be tempting to want to know a lot about many things, this will take an extremely long time and could simply position you as a Jill of All Trades, but Ms-tress of None.

Becoming an expert

Taking the time to become knowledgeable about a subject immediately elevates your authority, as it differentiates you, thereby enhancing your worth and status. Maybe you want to be the only 'go-to' person in your organisation who understands a particular system or tool. Perhaps you want to become a subject matter expert in a particular field. If you run your own business, perhaps there's a gap in the market for your unique skillset.

A key consideration when thinking about what your niche might be is whether it fires you up or not. Whether it's because you're ready for the next promotion, or because you simply want to communicate your views with credibility and impact, acquiring knowledge will be far more enjoyable if it's in an area that you love.

Sometimes we forget why we do what we do, we lose our mojo and when the going gets tough, we think about throwing in the towel. This happens to all of us, but it will happen far less if we've chosen a subject that we're passionate about and we keep that fire alive by stoking the flames through acquiring more knowledge.

If you want to define your niche, the first step is to identify what you find interesting and what you're best at. Consider too what might be your 'one thing'.

• What do you enjoy most?
• How does it relate to your overall purpose?