How Hesitation Keeps You Stuck

Have you ever been called to make a bold decision – one that would change the course of your life forever – and hesitated?

What happened? Did you take that chance later on, or did you pass on the opportunity altogether?

Maybe you weren’t sure that the timing was right or that the circumstances were perfect.

Maybe making the jump seemed too risky.

Maybe if you had more certainty, had done more research, had gathered more facts …

The Moment You Hesitate

What stops most of us from taking bold leaps of faith is uncertainty and fear.

If only we could look into the future.

If only we could anticipate the outcome and make sure we don’t fall flat on our faces and make a fool of ourselves.

Yet, we can’t predict the future.
So, we wait.

What Waiting Really Does to You

Waiting keeps you from moving forward.
It closes the door to what could be.
It stifles aliveness and nurtures fear.

You linger between the world of action and the world of inaction,
not fully choosing either.

You haven’t said no,
but you haven’t said yes, either.

Hesitation is stressful.

It stops you from evolving, it creates emotional turmoil, and it puts pressure on your heart.

In most of your day-to-day activities, choosing hesitation instead of a clear yes or no
diminishes your aliveness and makes your world smaller.

Over time, you’ll feel boxed in.

When Fear Takes Over

A few years ago, one of my clients decided to quit her job. Her working situation had become unbearable and was causing her enormous stress and anxiety. Most importantly, it kept her from fully stepping into the business she had been creating on the side. A business she was passionate about, and that had enormous potential to create wealth and happiness for her.

She felt that the time was right to step up her game, and together we had worked out a timeline for her departure.

When the time drew nearer to hand in her resignation, however,
her fear became so strong that it caused her to have second thoughts,
all of which started with what if:

What if I can’t find enough customers?
What if I can’t generate enough money?
What if I can’t pay my bills?
What if I can’t make it work?
What if I fail?

In the end, her fear became so overwhelming that she postponed leaving her job.

After initially feeling a huge surge of relief, she soon realized she had merely delayed the decision to take the next step.
Waiting didn’t improve her current situation; on the contrary, it diminished her courage and made her question her decision even more.

Luckily, after a few months of inner turmoil and anguish, she quit her job and successfully built her business to a level of financial security and freedom.

How Hesitation Erodes Your Courage

The longer you hesitate, the more it changes you.

Doubt grows stronger.
Fear feels more convincing.
And what once felt like a natural next step begins to feel out of reach.

You don’t become clearer, you become more uncertain.

And slowly, almost without noticing, you start to trust yourself less.

A Different Way Forward

My tip?

When faced with a bold decision, choose a clear yes or no.

It will save you from heartache and stress.

A Question For You

What’s your experience in dealing with hesitation?

Have you said yes to an opportunity, or stepped away from one? What was the outcome? Feel free to write to me, I’d love to hear your story.

As always, thank you for reading.

Karin

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with additional insights and exercises.