Breaking Through the Comfortable Ceiling
If only you would understand what intervals truly cost.
Welcome to one of my personal musings as I prepare HunchMaker's next chapter. These written reflections continue to lay the philosophical groundwork for the stories we'll soon be telling through film.
Life is full of opportunities if only you were to take them with both hands. This is the very approach I am following only since last year. Before that, I'd jump from one life to the other, ridding progress, and chasing unhealthy chaos that would disrupt the opportunities you just created for yourself.
The Liminal Space
This is what I refer to as a liminal space where one keeps itself stuck between two worlds: the one he or she aspires to near, and the other that lures you back in when fear hits the fan and doubt takes over. That is what "comfort" does to you.
Lessons From Surfing
Since the age of 17, I have been going out in the water to catch waves. Today I am 35 years old, and I still consider myself in the intermediate category. Some might think: "If he surfed since the age of 17, across all kinds of countries, he should probably be damn good. Well, I am not."
I allowed myself to jump back and forth to the sport, always leaving some interval — which stalled my growth and kept me at that comfortable ceiling.
What Intervals Truly Cost
If one allows constant interval, you take away the power of compounding, and never capitalise on what you learn. You remain stuck at a certain level. So long you repeat that process, the years go flying by without much change.
"Leave enough interval in all what you do, and create yourself a comfortable ceiling that can't be pierced through."
The Same Trap, Different Arena
This was no different in my professional career. For three years after my first production in Lisbon (June 2021), I repeated the same pattern: diving deep into interviews and filmmaking projects that filled my soul, then retreating back to corporate safety when impatience about "expectations" and money kicked in.
Each retreat robbed me of the compounding effect of sustained commitment. The projects I made during those intervals were beautiful, yet I was growing painfully slowly — trapped in my own liminal space between the filmmaker I was becoming and the employee I thought I needed to remain.
Breaking Through
This realisation about intervals and commitment has fundamentally changed everything. Rather than continuing to jump between safety and purpose, I've finally committed fully to the path that called me from the beginning.
For the first time since that initial hunch in 2021, I'm applying my own lesson. No more dangerous intervals. No more retreating when things get uncomfortable or money gets tight. I'm done robbing myself of the compounding effect.
Here's what I've learned: our hunches don't whisper once and disappear. They keep calling, waiting for us to finally answer without hesitation. The question isn't whether you're disciplined enough today, it's whether you are finally ready to stop sabotaging the voice that's been trying to guide you all along.
For me, the answer is finally yes.
Have a great day,
