We want to be relevant. There are a couple of ways we can deal with this desire.

1. We can identify a group to whom we’d like to be relevant, and bend to their will. Aim for that target. Try to meet their needs. Figure out what they like, and then do that as best we can.

2. We can start by looking inward. We can work really hard to be our best selves. We can give fuel to our passions. And then we can make ourselves visible. We can find connections, one by one. Real connections to people who find value in what we do.

The first method requires some research. It will involve flexibility. If the group shifts, you need to shift. They write the script, and you are the actor.

The second method requires patience. It requires discipline and emotional labor. But it gives you the freedom to dig deep. You are the writer, the actor, and the producer. Your measure is not how well you match what the group wants, but how well you can be the best version of yourself.

So, we can become relevant either way. It just depends on where we start looking. Outward, or inward.