Keep Adding Value To Stay Relevant

Have you ever noticed that when rain starts to fall, people will bring out their umbrella to shield themselves from the rain? But once the rain stops, the same umbrella that was celebrated during the rainy period will become useless. This goes to prove that your relevance is tied to the value you add, the solution you create, the questions you solve, and the things you get done. If these things become nonexistent, then your relevance will become questionable. In order to remain relevant in life, you have to try to keep adding positively to the course of life. Let people feel your impact and they will have value for you.

_{Image from Pexels}

There was a time when a friend of mine told me that he wanted to undergo a training course relating to his place of work, so I encouraged him. People did not know why he had to spend that much to take the course but he understood that it will make him more value-adding. When he finished, he understood more about the work and began to add more value at his place of work. Few months later, the company was to replace some staff but in all the shuffling and retrenchment that was done, he was not affected, in fact they promoted him because he became an asset to the company.

Trust me, the more you add value, even in your place of work, the more you become an asset. Of course, no sane employer will be willing to let go of the staff that is an asset. The reason why people are not coming after you is because you have not shown your worth and your value. If you posses the solution to their problem, then you will become an asset to them and they will seek for you. Whatever you do, always try to be the best in it. If you are a plantain seller for example, then be "The Plantain Seller." By adding a touch of excellence to what you do, it makes you to stand out and you will become the preferred choice.

While growing up, there was a particular woman that started selling fried bean balls (akara) in the neighbourhood where we lived. Many others were selling before her both in the street and the next, but as soon as she started, she took over the neighbourhood. Her simple secret was that she added a touch of excellence to her akara. The way she will serve the akara, the packaging, etc, made her to stand out. People would leave their own street and come to her own just to buy the akara from her. She discovered what the locals needed and she gave it to them, and her business experienced boom. She remained relevant as an akara seller until we left the neighbourhood. It is the value you add that will equate to the relevance you gain.

_{Image from Pexels}

During the infancy period of mobile phone, the Blackberry phone came on the scene with some amazing features. It rose to become the first choice of almost everyone that wanted a mobile device. Obviously, it could do amazing things that were exclusive of Blackberry at that time. In fact, some Internet Service Providers created a special data subscription for it because of how popular it became. Owning a Blackberry phone at that time was seen as a major achievement and it also marked some level of affluence that created a sense of belonging. However, in the long run, many other competitors arose and Blackberry did not upgrade on their features to adapt to the new market, so they were edged out. At this point, owning or using a Blackberry is no longer the flex that it used to be.

The case of Blackberry also happens in other areas of life. The moment you stop giving the value you are supposed to, your relevance begins to drop and people will start to look for alternatives. Trust me, it is the level of value you add that will determine if you are easily replaceable or almost indispensable. There are some people that you can easily replace and there are others that cannot. Strive to be among the latter, by reason of how you build yourself up. Always remember that the ultimate idea is to be better today than you were yesterday.

Thanks for reading