Why Hesitation Hurts You

Sometimes in my car I pull up to a stop sign, wanting to pull into traffic that doesn’t have to stop.  I look both ways and determine if it’s safe to make the left turn across both lanes of traffic. I’ve noticed lately that if I do that evaluation more quickly, there is often a window to pull out, as long as I don’t hesitate another couple seconds.

Windows of opportunity are constantly opening for you–if your radar is up, and if you can discern them to truly be opportunities and not threats nor irrelevant happenings. Someone says they want to do coffee with you. You can say Sure and know you will blow them off, or you can say that that person could be the trigger to a new friendship or someone to learn a breakthrough concept from. You get invited to visit a group (hobby club, church group, service club); again, you can politely say No, or you can go and see what opens up for you and your future with those new friends.

But, we hesitate. And then we miss out. Playing it safe sometime is a wise choice if the risk is huge! But more often then not, Obey the urge to GO FOR IT! The worst thing that could happen is that it doesn’t feel right, you endure an hour, and you decide there isn’t an opportunity to grow there. The upside is the breakthrough that you’ve been waiting for. It only materializes after an exploratory YES.