Hesitation

On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died. - Adlai E. Stevenson

Why do we hesitate? What are the underlying causes? I’m specifically talking about hesitating when we don’t do what we feel like doing or be who we feel like being.

I think a lot of times fear is the underlying root cause. As we know, fear comes in multitude of flavors. For me, I typically hesitate because of a fear of being judged by others. I usually hesitate around expressing my true self whatever that might be at the time. I can sometimes be uncomfortable allowing who I truly am come to out, especially when it is around people that may only know a few sides of me, like work colleagues, acquaintances and etc.

This is an old habit pattern for me and thankfully it doesn’t come up that often anymore. But, every now and then something will set it off. If that happens to you, it’s important to acknowledge that message and consciously focus on it.

The ultimate way to break through the hesitation is to do what you are hesitating to do. Is it something you want to say? Is it an expression of opinion? Is it a view of your creativity? Is it exposing a side of yourself that others may not know?

Whatever it is, go ahead and do it. The long term benefits of truly being who you are at every minute are exponentially greater than the few moments of anxiety, dread and fear you may experience. If you have a fear of being “exposed” to others or if you feel you may be judged, ask yourself if it is worth having friends that don’t accept you for who you are. Here’s a hint: it’s not worth it.

Be who are as much as you can. Your life will have a sense of fulfillment that many don’t experience.

Michael

Tags: Emotional Health