In a world where creativity often takes a back seat to the demands of everyday life, Steph Sosa advocates for imagination and action, urging individuals to take control of their narratives and make the most out of the limited time they have. In an exclusive interview, Steph shares insights into her philosophy, drawing from her extensive experience in the entertainment industry and her role coaching hundreds of clients in reigniting their dreams, so they can live a life that looks and feels like them.
“We want to be involved in our lives. We know we don’t have complete control, but we often don’t take control of the creative agency that we do have,” Steph emphasizes, highlighting a universal struggle. It’s a reality check, a reminder that time is both a valuable resource and a fleeting one, with the potential for dreams to be pushed further and further away.
Steph’s journey in the entertainment industry, spanning 15 years, lends weight to her message. As a producer working on diverse projects and sets, she has seen firsthand the delicate dance between creative vision and the ticking clock.
Here are three tips Steph shares that can help you begin producing your life and future the way you want:
- Move your most important scene up to today. We can’t keep putting off until tomorrow that most important dream or project, that scene that would make or break the whole movie. You want to do this project early and often, so you have time to revise it and make it exactly what you want. Meredith Wilson wrote in The Music Man, “You pile up enough tomorrows and you’ll be left with nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays.” Instead of waiting for your life to begin tomorrow, realize that cameras are already rolling- what is your movie saying about you?
- Give yourself a deadline for development. As human beings, we are born explorers but with today’s unlimited access to information, it is extremely easy to get stuck in the ideation, research, and development phase for months, years, or decades. On average, people have around 40 million minutes in their lifespan. Be mindful of how many of those minutes you give to dreaming and talking about your projects and how much time you spend on doing them.
- Make the project you’d want to be in, even if no one you know sees it. In 2015, John Malkovich made a movie that won’t premiere for another 100 years! When explaining why he’d work on something where he’ll never see the audience’s reaction, he explained to People magazine, “As I take most things I get to do in my life, it’s just another form of expression.” Expressing who we truly are and how we want to contribute to this world can feel liberating but is often challenging. As social animals, we are often influenced in our decisions based on what we believe others’ reactions might be and social media can enhance this. As you move forward, make sure you pick projects and dreams that feel truly meaningful and exciting to you. If the world wouldn’t realize your accomplishment until 100 years later, would you still feel it was worth it?
And all of this goes into your life’s most important work. Steph shares one of her favorite quotes, echoing the profound wisdom of Maya Angelou, “See the future as your career, as your job. This is not a rehearsal. This is your life.” Her words resonate with a sense of urgency and empowerment, encouraging everyone to treat each moment as an opportunity to create something meaningful.
In a world often dominated by routine and the mundane, Steph Sosa stands as a reminder that life is a canvas waiting to be painted with the vibrant colors of imagination and purpose. Through her coaching and insights, she encourages individuals to break free from the script of complacency and take center stage in the production of their own lives.
