I love birthdays and always look forward to them, but I must admit, as I age there were times when I doubt my relevance and question whether my ship had sailed. Is it possible to stay relevant as you age?
You see, there was a time when the topics I spoke on would draw large crowds of people; now, with the flood of webinars and free events, it feels like pulling teeth to get people to attend, even virtually. So I wonder…is what I have to share no longer relevant? If so, then perhaps I should just retire and sail into the sunset.
My perspective changed recently. I had a wonderful Zoom call with a man in his 80s who is still working, not because he needed to but because he loves what he does. For almost 50 years, he has helped businesses find funding. What a great gig! The knowledge he has acquired and the relationships he has built over that time make him an irreplaceable, vital resource to others.
Many of us, as we age, ask ourselves, “Am I still relevant?”
He helped me see that just because things have changed doesn’t mean I am irrelevant; it just means things are different. It is possible to stay relevant as you age.
I’m curious – is relevance tied to what you do or to who you are or where you put your focus? Perhaps it’s a combination. I’d love your insights on this in the comments.
As I was writing this, I just saw a post from Steve and Lauren Allmen that said; “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” I started to reflect on my work life over the last 10 years and found that I felt most satisfied when I was sharing valuable information but most relevant when I supported that information with applied learning environments.
