What’s your red thread?
I’ve recently had a lightbulb go off.
You know that big question everyone deals with: “Why am I here?”, “What’s my purpose?”.
In looking back on my life I realized that for me it’s Connection & Communication. If you were to ask me; “Roel, what’s the central theme - the red thread - that connects your value system, to your behaviour to how you live to your profession to your interests?”
... It’s Connection.
Ever since I was a kid, call it trauma-informed, call it passion, call it a way of betterment; it’s always been a focus on “How do we, as humans, connect deeper?”. With ourselves, each other, and with this blue orb in the ever-expanding universe.
My answer has been Communication.
And I found that everything I do in life revolves around how to improve our communication with each other. That’s why I felt called to co-found Voices Unleashed - to help people find their truest expression. That’s why I’m a communication consultant. That’s why I love powerful stories and creating them with others. That’s why I launched my new Brand Story service.
And so on and so on.
This is my red thread. And I’ll continue to create for the sake of a deeper connection.
The picture you see above was from a Voices Unleashed night in July 2022 at Soulshine. A night I’ll never forget. It’s me hugging my mom after a poem dedicated to her and my grandmother (her mother) - see below.
It was the first time I saw her in 2,5 years. This was also the first time my mom and stepdad got to witness what we’ve created with Voices Unleashed. And so much of how I show up in that space, in this community, is due to the way I was raised.
And I chose this picture because it tells a story of communication - a miniature Hero’s Journey:
A parent raising a child. A child going out in the world. Deals with the challenges. Overcomes and becomes an adult. The adult remembers his roots. Creates something based on the myriad of life lessons. Integrates his roots and gives back from a place of honouring.
It’s my mission in life to help others tell their story. To find their unique expression. Why? Because there’s so much to learn from each other if only we know how to share it. And when we do, it’s like fireworks. We create little neural shortcuts that help us understand life better and propel us forward as a species.
Reach out to me if you’d like to explore that.
And if you’ve got a red thread in your life »»» share yours please!
Share what makes you, YOU!
With love,
Roel
I am so proud. Roel is a very talented writer, a great communicator and connector with a big warm heart.
Love you with all my being.
Mam
Wow, we both posted today 20 minutes apart, and the themes align so much, what a synchronicity! Just today I was reflecting on it, and to me, the red thread has always been creation and visual language. Would love to read more from you about this!