Sérgio dos Céus Nelson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Sérgio dos Céus, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Who are you learning from right now?
Lately, I’ve learned to stay calm, to respect the natural pace of things, and to accept that I can’t anticipate problems that haven’t yet arisen. As we grow older, we tend to become more selective, refining our circle of friends and business partners, because it becomes clearer that it’s better to walk with a few people who truly support our endeavors than to be widely known but lack loyal companions when the storm hits.
Life is an intense journey. In solitude, we confront our flaws and shortcomings and strive to become better versions of ourselves. In our careers, we come to understand the necessity of handling the frustrations of failed projects or unmet dreams. I see this as an essential lesson: life is made of ups and downs, joy and sorrow and only by embracing both do we gain the maturity to face upcoming challenges with composure and seek real solutions. At a certain point, dwelling on complaints offers no benefit; there’s no purpose in crying if we’re not focused on solving the problems we face.
What I’m learning in these times is the art of patience, tranquility, and serenity, to overcome obstacles while staying alert and ready to seize the opportunities I’ve been seeking.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am currently 31 years old and could not be more satisfied with what I have achieved so far. I know there is still a long road ahead, but it’s important to pause and acknowledge that I have won many battles. The art of gratitude allows us not to be blind to what we have already accomplished.
Presently, I serve as the National Director of Institutional Relations, Communication, and Image at the Office of the Ombudsman in Mozambique. In the same institution, I am Vice President of the Ethics Committee. I run a consulting company, Elevate Communications & Technologies (available at www.elevatecommstech.com), through which I employ a short number of people. I founded in 2013 the Association of Environmental and Human Rights Journalists (AJADH), www.ajadhmozambique.org, where we have over one hundred volunteers both within the country and abroad. Through this organization, I’ve established contacts with many scientists, researchers, and international figures. Among the conversations that have left the greatest mark on me was one with Alyssa Carson, in her preparation to be the first person to walk on Mars. I have also spoken with the Brazilian scientist Juliana Estradioto and Anna Luisa Beserra—women whom I greatly admire and with whom I maintain contact in one way or another.
Recently, I launched the Golden Mind Sessions Podcast, through which I intend to chat with various entrepreneurs around the world. My aim is to build a broad platform for young people to share their ideas. Through my podcast Chats with Legends, I have had the privilege of speaking with actors, singers, and other types of artists from the American context and from around the world. In particular, in 2020 I won a film scholarship that enabled me to study Acting for Film in Los Angeles at the American Arts Film & TV Academy. I believe many things began from there. Afterwards, I found a talent agent who guided me for some time; with her I was featured on the cover of a magazine in Maryland, and I took part in an advertisement campaign broadcast in New York and India. Subsequently I appeared on the covers of other American magazines that gave me a voice—such as Bold Journey, which has always opened its doors for me to present myself to the world.
As a trained screenwriter, I hold more than thirty awards/mentions/selections in international screenplay competitions. My short film Dreamless received an honorable mention at Pinewood Studios, the studio that has produced films like 007, Spider-Man, Avengers, among others. I was also a finalist at the Coliseum International Film Festival in Rome. A conversation with Patrick Kilpatrick, a legend who has worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, among others, was a major milestone for me. Undoubtedly, because of this boldness I had the opportunity to build a connection with Chris Chalk, whom I admire and respect deeply. One day, he gave me advice I will carry with me for life. I have served as ambassador for some film festivals, including in Nigeria and I am a Global Peace Ambassador – for Global Peace Chain (located in New York).
I have been teaching screenwriting in institutes; I am a writer with five books (two of which are collaborations); I am a visual artist; a researcher, having given lectures at national and international universities and contributed to scientific texts. I hold two certifications from Brazil as a therapist and have provided counseling to people who came to me when their clouds seemed too heavy. I enjoy actions of this kind, especially because for many years I volunteered and worked in humanitarian actions: prisons, nursing homes, orphanages, hospitals, children’s centers, etc. I believe there is no price for knowing how to listen to someone who needs us in moments of hardship.
I have had various texts published, I work as a film critic, and I have been invited onto several television and radio programs, as well as published in newspapers on topics related to cinema and literature and in my other fields of work.
Academically, I hold a degree in Journalism; I completed my first Master’s degree in International Relations and Development, specializing in Foreign Policy (currently at the research stage). I am pursuing a second Master’s in Conflict Management and Organizational Mediation, and a second Degree in Law. I like to occupy my mind with things that help me become a better and more engaged member of society, because so much of my future depends on it.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
During my childhood I faced countless hardships. My parents were always proactive in seeking better conditions for us, their children. From a young age I realized I had to invest in my education, because it was the best way to fight the adversities and the limited circumstances in which I grew up. I have always stayed focused, and for that reason I rarely go out just for fun—because I’m always thinking about finding the right formula to achieve the successes I’m striving for. I am very certain and convinced that my focus began in adolescence.
To give you some context: I have sold roasted peanuts on roadside stands; sold used clothes; sold chickens; sold small quantities of fuel to areas without electrical power. I worked as a trucker’s helper, a construction foreman’s assistant, carpenter, blacksmith (etc) and I took almost every informal job a young person can do when just trying to survive. I have never felt ashamed of any of it, because it is precisely those steps that have brought me to where I am today. I am the result of boldness and of never being ashamed to do even work that might seem insignificant, but that guaranteed a meal at the table.
I hold more than fifty certificates from trainings, courses, workshops, and lectures. In 2020, I received a request for licensing so that one of my works could be included in a Portuguese-language textbook for elementary education in Brazil. I don’t know how that process ended, but the fact that it caught people’s attention already means that I am doing something meaningful. I have been able to support my family financially and, despite knowing there are challenges, I am aware that I’ve already overcome many of the basic limitations we once faced. Besides respecting the process, I have always looked for ways to achieve my dreams. I firmly believe that we are the architects of our dreams. We cannot delegate what we want to accomplish. If we want victory, then we must have the capacity and the willingness to manage frustrations, to handle challenges, to endure storms, while always keeping an eye open for the first good opportunity that appears.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
It has never been easy to struggle and see delays in reaching our dreams and goals. A long wait often breeds frustration. It’s not about haste, but about wanting our efforts to be recognized. One must never hide the will to triumph. That is how great names are made. It’s not necessarily about fame. It’s about achieving success in the small-yet-significant things we define as our life’s projects.
Many times I thought about giving up, but immediately I realized that if I gave up, no one else would fight for my dreams. I believe life is an interesting challenge. Some want to be remembered for being the best friends, present at every party, but others want to be remembered for having made meaningful changes in society. I think it all boils down to what each one wants to be. The struggle for success is not always understood, because along the way we may lose friends who do not understand our dreams and cannot keep pace with the altitude of our boldness. That is a reality we must be willing to manage and understand that life itself will refine our companions and place us in or introduce us to new cycles of friendship, new life chapters. With this I do not mean to diminish the value of the loyal friendships that walk with us over the long journey. I have friends with whom I have dreamed since I can remember, friends who give support when I am nearly ready to give up and say: “Sérgio, you’re almost there, keep pushing.” When I watched Rocky by Stallone, I realized that resistance to challenges and a thirst for success can shape minds to reach unimaginable things.
I am aware there are people who fight their whole lives and never reach the success they desire, just as there are those who fight for six months and reach the summit of Everest. But life has always been like that, and so I have learned not to compare myself with others, because I don’t know the paths they traveled or how long they fought for the dream they fulfilled. Many times the thought of giving up struck me, but I am too stubborn, and I like to keep fighting, even barefoot, when the ground is too hot.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I like this question.
Many times I find myself in discussions about perfection, with people saying that perfection does not exist. Personally, I like to see as perfect the smile on the face of someone we love, the birth of a daughter or son, the joy of a mother or father when their child returns from a journey, the lightness a friend gives us when they arrive with a long-awaited hug. I believe we have spent too much time chasing the wrong kind of perfection. We often compare ourselves to Jesus Christ, forgetting that He too experienced moments of doubt, moments of “perfect imperfection.” I think we need to pay more attention to the good that others do.
The idea of perfection I speak of does not ignore all the negative things in the world. Just as in Christ’s time there was Judas, adultery, sin, and crime. We learn that the cycle of life should also be about valuing the small-yet-great things around us: the blossoming of a flower, a journey awaited for centuries, the realization of a dream, being present in another person’s life without expecting anything in return. I don’t concern myself with proving whether human perfection exists. Some things we live as we wish. They are personal convictions that don’t necessarily need collective approval. But I believe and like to think that we are perfect, within our imperfection.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Life is about doing what pleases us, even if the world turns its eyes away from our projects. I know there may be a contradiction in what I say, because much of what we do is with the expectation of showing, of selling, so that we can have the financial means to manage our lives; but not everything boils down to money. There are things we do to delight our spirit, our soul, things we don’t even show to the world; things that make us smile, shared only with a small circle of people.
Often we acquire frustration because we expect to hear every opinion, even from people who may pour their own frustrations into our plans. There are people who speak badly of our projects simply because their own project was rejected. So, I believe we should not always care about what the world thinks, as long as we are doing things within the law and things that bring pleasure to our soul. At some point in life, someone will appreciate our projects and think they are wonderful. Many people seem to achieve success out of nowhere, but if you investigate, you’ll see they are people who have always been working quietly, seeking the right contacts to reach success. Staying calm and not judging yourself too harshly can be a solution when the world seems to judge us too much.
Contact Info:
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