Stop Chasing Relevance

One of the most freeing realizations I've had in business is this: If my photography business disappeared tomorrow, I would still be doing the same work.

Not the same job. The same work. That's because photography isn't the purpose. It's simply one way I express it.

For years I've helped people feel seen. I've helped tell stories. I've helped create connection. I've helped people recognize value in themselves and in each other. Photography just happens to be the vehicle.

If that vehicle disappeared, I'd find another one. That's what Simon Sinek was getting at when he challenged people to start with why.

Most of us spend our lives focused on what we do. We build identities (brands) around our job titles, our businesses, our industries, and our expertise. We become photographers, consultants, coaches, executives, founders, marketers, or creators.

But those things aren't who we are. They're simply how our purpose shows up in the world today. The problem is that when we don't know our why, we become vulnerable to chasing relevance.

We look around and see someone with a bigger audience, more followers, a different business model, more attention, more visibility, and we begin to wonder if we're doing something wrong.

So we pivot. We rebrand. We try to appeal to everyone. We study algorithms. We follow trends. We shape-shift ourselves into whatever seems to be working for someone else. And in the process, we become less and less recognizable to ourselves.

The irony is that relevance is usually the byproduct of clarity, not the result of chasing it. The people who build meaningful businesses rarely become successful because they tried to attract everyone. They become successful because they knew exactly who they were.

They stayed consistent. They spoke to the people they were meant to serve. And they trusted that the right opportunities would find them.

At some point, many of us adopted a definition of success that has very little to do with fulfillment. We measure followers, visibility, reach and recognition. But what if success isn't becoming known by everyone? Or whatever number of followers you think defines success? What if success is becoming unmistakably valuable to the right people?

Don’t forget: the internet is designed for us to build audiences that make us feel like success if bigger and better (hello, blue checkmark). Purpose encourages us to build from the inside out with a deep understanding of why we’re here. One is exhausting. The other is sustainable.

When you know who you are, you stop asking, "How do I get more people to notice me?" You start asking, "How do I serve the people who are already drawn to what I believe?"

That's a very different question. And it leads to a very different kind of business. The goal isn't to become relevant. The goal is to know who you are and build from there.

Because the people who spend their lives trying to become something are often exhausted. The people who spend their lives becoming more of who they already are tend to build something far more meaningful.

Not because they chased it. Because they couldn't help but express it. The irony is that when you stop trying to be everything to everyone, you become unforgettable to the people who matter.

When you stop measuring your worth by followers, influence, attention, or recognition, you create space for something better.

You create space for connection, meaningful work, the right opportunities, all for the right people.

And for a version of success that no metric was ever capable of measuring. Because the best things that come from knowing who you are were never meant to fit inside a dashboard.