Consistency — How I Work Towards It

Consistency seems to be the name of the game - be it to make progress, to form a habit or to succeed.

I’ve known this for many years, but I always struggle with it. There are peaks and valleys in my motivation. Stories are in abundance, access to them, less so. And while the satisfaction of a job done is immense, the work put in is hard. And the perception of the qualities of a documentary is subjective - it is perhaps only after years that you see progress or results of hard work by way of recognition.

That is why I’ve always felt that the journey of improving my documentary storytelling skills is akin to working out and keeping fit. The process is difficult and painful, while the results can only be measured over a long period of time, and the lack of consistency leads to attrition that may cripple the momentum of anyone but the most disciplined or motivated.

That is why during the lull periods, absent of inspiration or work, insecurity creeps in - the possibility of crystalised doubt begins to form. I feel helpless with my own thoughts as they eat away at my confidence and make me question everything that I have done up to that point.

But perhaps I am lucky in how I naturally respond to such momentary crises. I work it out. It's easy to distract oneself from doubts when your mind, body and soul is devoted to working on it. The mind is less likely to wander negatively. Didn’t like how my last documentary turned out? What are the potential reasons for it? After I undertake this self-reflection, I then develop or seek project opportunities to work towards addressing my weaknesses directly. These are not problems that cannot be solved, it’s simply a part of personal development.

This mindset keeps our consistency up. Sure, there may be peaks and valleys, but if we keep at it, then if we zoom out and look at the big picture, we may not be surprised to see that the journey was an upwards trajectory all along. So treat the process like quicksand - don't stay too long in a single spot or you may be stuck.

P.S. I’ve also heard on multiple occasions that this feeling of insecurity is a sign that one cares about the work he/she does, and that the absence is a tell-tale sign of the dead that walk amongst the profession.