Two or three summers ago my father and I were in a boat at the Cape, cruising along with my kids. We were chatting about life, and at some point along the journey, I asked him why he had started taking his painting so seriously. Over the course of a few short years my Renaissance man father had literally gone from never having picked up a paint brush to having become talented enough to have his works featured in shows and galleries. That accomplishment in and of itself is impressive. What impressed me more, however, is my dad's desire to not be a one-trick pony. He had already been an incredibly accomplished business leader; one successful enough to retire very early. He's not the guy to spend his later years at the golf course every day though. His answer to my question was simply, "I paint to stay relevant."
And I totally understood what he meant.
Something we all face in life are ebbs and flows. I have yet to meet a person in my life - even the most successful among us - who have not hit periods when they aren't at their most productive/creative/efficient…insert your own word. I personally have had moments in my career when I feel like I am on fire. Each team I own is hyper-productive. I am being published and receiving validation for my ideas and innovations. People in the companies I work for are motivated, engaged, and thriving. And then things change. The dynamics shift so that I can no longer influence or we are acquired or I just say "I'm done and it's time for a new challenge." And then, for that period of time, I am no longer feeling relevant.
How true is that in today's world? We are shifting and changing at lightening speed. Social media and technology have caused people to move from a more focused way of living and thinking to a "Look! Squirrel!" model. And that leaves all of us being only as good as our last accomplishment.
Lady Gaga became one of the biggest things in the world when she hit the music scene in 2008. She didn't just dominate with her music; she changed the game with her fashion and fearless approach.
For a period of several years, it was hard not to find coverage of her latest outfit or antic, or find a hit of hers playing on the radio. And then it began to fizzle.
It is hard to continue to reinvent yourself when the bar of being unique is that high. You begin to be bizarre just to be bizarre. It appeared her choices were more about making a statement and less about producing great music. She has become, in my humble opinion, a hell of a lot less relevant than she was just two short years ago.
I share that desire with my dad. That high bar to want to continue to reach for more; to stay relevant with whatever is important within our own worlds. Fortunately, I have been able to create and morph enough within my own career to stay relevant even though I've been at it for a long while. I'm assuming that probably has something to do with never wanting to do the same thing twice, or repeating what I've done at other companies. Perhaps I'll apply lessons learned, but I'll always up that bar on myself for the good of the company.
I'll assume, however, at some point, I won't be so relevant anymore. Maybe I will just get too old for the young people I work with to listen to me. Or maybe I'll just run out of creative ideas. Or maybe I'll just say, "I'm done. I need to go be relevant doing something else."
I'll admit, I don't have a great answer to this. I think what I offer to my daughters is pretty relevant to their place in life right now. They may not think so in another year or two. And I believe I still have some decent relevance at work too. A text my boss just sent me gives me the ego boost for the night to reinforce that thought. And I'm learning that even doing this Experiment might have some relevance to some. While it's always been just for me, I'd be lying if I didn't say it doesn't feel good when someone connects and says "Wow…Day X really resonated with me. I've gone through something similar and I never would have had the courage to put it out there."
I think it's something for all of us to ponder in our lives though. What is your relevance? As Oliver Wendall Holmes once said, "We don't quit playing because we get old. We get old because we quit playing." The trick to staying relevant is to never stop playing.
Game on.
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