Balance Creative

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about relevance.

I’ve had conversations with clients, co-workers, family members, friends, and even a pastor or two. (hey… they are still very relevant.)

I’ve had peers (& competitors) ask me about remaining relevant. The nerve.

Do I feel ongoing pressure to be relevant? Well… of course. Duh.

In my world, what does relevance look like?

Is it the kind of pants I wear? Maybe.

Is it whether my shirt is tucked in or out? I hope not.

Is it whether my hair is almost completely white (or should I roll it back a decade or two with a rich brown from a box?) Uh… no. Deal with it.

Is it whether I have the latest iPhone? Don’t ask my son that?

You get the idea. Personally, I’ve come to think of relevance as a state of mind.

It’s not about the tools or the talk. It’s about the same thing it’s always been about. Your client has a problem. And, you — using all of your tools AND skills — help them fix it. Being creative. Being strategic. Helping them to look better. Heck, even making them look awesome some days.

Does the client care if you looked relevant during the process? Maybe.

Does the client care if you delivered the most relevant solution you could? You bet.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think if you are NOT waking up everyday with a flexible AND adaptable mindset, then you might be approaching irrelevancy. If you are not waking up every day with a desire to grow, learn, discover, change, be better and even surprised… then you could be becoming irrelevant. 

If that happens, that’s the day you should probably just stay in bed.