Who Steers Your Ship?

Let’s be real—this industry can make you feel like you’re just a passenger, not the captain. Casting directors, producers, agents, executives—the so-called “key holders” who seem to decide whether your career sails or sinks. It’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting. Waiting for the right role. Waiting for someone to take a chance on you. Waiting for that big break like it’s some divine lottery.

I’ve been there. I’ve battled with it. And I’ve learned something the hard way: No one is coming to steer the ship for you. And why should they? It’s your damn ship.

What’s In Our Control? Ask the Stoics.

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, wrote, "You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." That’s the core of it. We spend too much time focusing on what we can’t control—whether we book the role, whether some exec “sees something” in us, whether the industry decides we’re the next big thing. And when we focus on things outside our control, we give them power. We let them steer.

But zoom in. What is in our control?

• The work we put in—training, honing our craft, sharpening the blade.

• The stories we tell—writing, producing, or creating projects that showcase what we can do.

• The mindset we carry—how we react to setbacks, how we handle rejection, how we push forward.

Epictetus, another Stoic philosopher, said, "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." You don’t control the storm, but you do control how you sail through it.

From Drifters to Captains

Think about Odysseus in The Odyssey. The guy faced storms, shipwrecks, monsters, gods literally trying to keep him from getting home. He could’ve curled up and accepted fate, but he navigated. He adjusted his sails. He found a way. That’s what we have to do in this business.

Are you waiting for permission, or are you making moves?
Are you hoping someone gives you a shot, or are you taking your own?
Are you drifting, or are you steering?

I get it—this business doesn’t make it easy. The industry doesn’t owe us anything. But we owe ourselves the effort to make our vision a reality.

So here’s the truth: No one is coming to save you. No one is going to hand you the life you want. And that’s not a bad thing—that’s freedom. Because it means you don’t have to wait. You don’t have to ask permission.

You can train harder. You can create your own work. You can put yourself in the rooms that matter. You can sharpen your craft until the world has to take notice.

Every second you spend wishing for a break is a second you could spend becoming undeniable.

So stop waiting. Stop hoping. Grab the wheel.
Your ship, your course, your rules.