The Quotidian Spur

Hesitation is an insidious disease of the human mind that inhibits change.

For me, it is a voice that interrupts the silence of focused reasoning and purposeful intent with an unwelcome dialogue of doubt and fear. It causes delay that sadly leaves words unspoken, works unformed, relationships unjoined, and scars of regret.

Fine art painting entitled Hesitation by William Henry Bartlett. Shows shows an adolescent girl seated on a rock by the edge of the sea, with an outstretched foot poised above the water, pondering the consequences of taking the plunge.

Hesitation -William H. Bartlett

Unchecked, hesitation can become incapacitating. It is especially difficult to overcome as others misjudge your inaction as negligence, procrastination or simple laziness. It is not.

Reduce hesitation in life.

A confidant, mentor and great human being named Buddy Portugal showed me how to engage spontaneity, act on ideas and reduce hesitation in ways that have been life changing. Hesitation, he said, is a state-of-mind that can be tamed by awareness and practice.

People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now.--Thích Nhất Hạnh

His advice is to live in the present and be self-aware.

Much hesitation is fostered by something that might happen in the future, e.g., What will they think? What will happen next? All you can control is your actions at the present - act now. The future and how others react is out of your control.

Next, be very conscious to recognize the voice of hesitation in your thinking. The very second that quiet thought becomes a dialogue, stop the discussion and get to work. Don't give creeping doubt and fear a voice.