As an individual, being relevant globally should be your daily goal.
Relevance is deeper than it appears; it takes a lot of pain to achieve the gain of relevance.
The word RELEVANCE cuts across all niches.
Though it is a nine - letters word, but the word is deep and powerful than it appears.
The pen you use at all time wouldn't have come your way if it wasn't relevant to your achievements.
As an individual, you need to be relevant before you can be recognized. Relevance brings Recognition. However, being relevant isn't a day's job, it takes cultivation to achieve that, just like a Farmer does with his land.
A Farmer takes the pain and time to cultivate the ground; there is the: clearing stage (the farmer clears the grass), planting stage (here is when the Farmer buries his crop into the soil), weeding stage (this is the removal of the grass that tends to hinder the effective growth of the crop).
The aforementioned are some of the stages a Farmer goes through before the land becomes relevant to supplying his needs.
After the clearing of grass, the land is half relevant because at that level it becomes beautiful to every eye that beholds it. But then, what is its beauty if doesn't meet the Farmer's needs? Its beauty isn't relevant to the Farmer.
There are stages to follow through on the path to relevance, though, it takes long to get there but then, half relevance is no relevance at all. Hence, don't serve the world with your half - baked cake because it will mar your reputation.
The land needs to be cultivated to the point that it will start bringing forth fruits; this is your joy - results, this will be a great beauty to eyes that behold it.
What would have happened if no one had taken the pain to cultivate the land? I bet you know the answer.
Likewise, for you as a person to be relevant in life, you need to go through the cultivating process; the silent pains, the groaning, the investment e.t.c. just like the Farmer does before finally harvesting.
Mind you, no one will recognize you when you are still at the unpolished stage, just like the Farmer's land in the above illustration was before cultivation.
Not until you walk/work your way through, no one will recognize you. I mean with hard work and not with the ideology of "using what you have to get what you want" (this refers to some people). Though, you can use your pen to get what you want but please, don't get it twisted. Don't misunderstand me!
Not until you start bearing fruits (results) for others to see, no one will count you relevant. I'm not talking you showing off your results.
Not until you remove those stones on your path to greatness, and finally become successful, no one will see you as being a relevant fellow either to your family, society and the nation at large.
Hence, to be relevant is not a day's job.
Below are some steps you need, to walk your way to relevance:
R: Read Always
E: Engage Your Mind Productively & Positively
L: Learn As You Read
E: Educate Others
V: Validate Your Knowledge
N: Nurture Yourself
C: Consistently Grow
E: Enlarge Your Coast
In a nutshell, the key to Relevance is great hard work and the key to Great Achievement is Relevance.
Relevance = hard work + great work + consistency - laziness
Let's meet at the top.