How Finding Your Voice Improves Your Life

My goal has become to own and tell the SportsHosts story before SportsHosts dies, from being hidden under a bush. Finding the courage to open up is not about marketing; it is about sharing a bold vision. 

And I know, many of us find it hard to find our voices at times, so I wanted to share my experience. 

If SportsHosts fails, because I never had to courage to own it and share it with 100% of my energy, I will never forgive myself. 

If SportsHosts fails having done that, so be it, in sports terms, I will have left it all on the field. 

Here is the start of telling that story.

Like many people, I suffer from a lack of belief in myself. And as your voice may often be influenced by others, in the end, it must be yours. And that has been and is my quest.

Although finding my voice has come with fear. What if people judge me harshly, ridicule my aims. I have been fearful of telling the reasons behind SportsHosts, as when I first did, people looked at me oddly and walked away slowly, and sometimes fast!

After many people did quite literally walk away, one marketing agency even declined to take us as a client! I meet Theo Erasmus (DDB, Leo Burnett, Possible....). It was life-changing as Theo made the point the world needs this vision. It was not validation I was looking for; it was the energy gained from others feeling the power of the vision and creativity to help tell it.

With Theo's help, we searched for the best creative director globally (when we couldn't even afford the worst!) and found Gavin Whitfield, form Intrepid Fox in, South Africa. Gavin wrote the story you just watched. 

But it wasn't just that easy; we had no money to film the story and bring it to life. It took a year of scrapping together a tenth of what was already a minimal budget when Gavin and Gregg Bailey (Director) came back and said they would fly to New York and make the film for free. I will never forget that phone call - I had to ask why and their answer still gives me goosebumps. It is a story that needs telling - it was the same passion Theo had. 

They lassoed in People's TV, Deliverance Post, Pressure Cooker Studios, Me and My Friends Editing, the wonderful talent and many more others. Everyone came to the party to make this work for about $1.75 each. We will never forget it! Thank you.

That is powerful; really powerful, as people came on board, based on a vision. A vision of a world that focuses more on what unites us than what divides us. 

Like many, I love the song Imagine - but while it got voted the song of the century, how much have we really changed. I thought maybe; we could find a way to allow people to change that, from imagine to "in real life." 

Finding what unites us seems more logical than focusing on what divides us. By doing so, you connect with people you love; on a level you love, and sometimes it is the only connection, that is easy.

You also get to do things with new people, and through seeing sports together, who knows what else you get invited to do, just because you went along. Oh' the places you will go (Dr. Suess)

On a secondary level, opening up and softening for a while on what divides us and letting in what connects us in, touches our souls.

Many studies recently, including the work of Inclusive Australia (Monash University), show that bigotry, racism, and division are most effectively tackled through people meeting and sharing positive social interactions.

So the two are connected, differences bring color to life, and the color is what our souls seek. 

SportsHosts is a life without social boundaries, a quest for personal freedom, and social inclusion, at home and away.

No one said it better than Nelson Mandela "Sport has the power to change the world, It has the power to inspire." "It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does". 

I hope you understand, it took a lot of courage, or maybe, just maybe I am crazy.