Lesson Learned #54 - Follow Through

Building Self-Confidence And Getting Those Projects Done

If someone tells you they’re going to do something then reneges, it undermines your faith in that person. This also applies internally, you-to-you. If you don’t follow through with your own plans, you start to lose something very valuable, self-confidence.

When you’re on set, working as an assistant, photographer or tech, the brief is pretty clear - if you’re not reliable, your career will be a very short one. However, much of what we do has no structure other than that with which we endow it. In these instances, it’s tempting to be laissez-faire instead of disciplined, but it’s just as, if not more important to follow through here.

In the past I had been pretty lazy about this, either coming up with grandiose plans and getting sidetracked, or being too vague with my objectives and losing sight of the target. A few years ago, as I started working towards more personal goals: books, shows, and personal projects, I kept getting waylaid, sometimes by doubt, sometimes by commercial work or family matters - it was always something. Fortunately, while there was still some gas in the tank, I learned that building back slowly, following through on a few simple tasks and going from there, works wonders for reestablishing confidence and focus.

If you’re trying to get a project going, finding yourself astray, try isolating one small, simple thing. Write it down somewhere, DO IT, then check it off. As rudimentary as this sounds, building yourself back up with this type of first principle helps restore self-confidence. Creative plans get derailed very easily, getting back on track quickly prevents a downward spiral of wasted time and a deflated spirit.

The more attuned I became to the fits and starts of my projects, the more I began recognizing the leaden inertia that sets in when there’s no plan for moving forward. The goal isn’t to avoid getting derailed, that’s inevitable, the point is developing a system to get back to work.

Planning and carrying out big projects takes confidence. Seeing plans through to completion takes stamina and faith in yourself. Much of that confidence, I now believe, is established by trusting yourself to do what you say you’re going to do. Not just once, but over and over… and over again.