He who hesitates is lost! Surely you have heard this saying before. Have you had any experience with this idea in your life? What do you think the author meant? In your experience, is it true?

In my experience it is. Here’s an example: I have found that, if you see something you like at Costco, and you fail to act right then, when you come back the next time, you’ll find that it’s nowhere to be found. So I have learned my lesson. When I see something at Costco that I like, I buy it right there and then. There is no time to think about it. But does this mean we should always be ready to act? That we rush around impulsively acting without hesitation? The answer is … yes and no. The true warrior is gifted with the power of discernment—the ability to know when to act and when to pause (which is very different from hesitating). When the warrior engages in battle, he does not ever hesitate! To hesitate in such conditions would be to die, but the true warrior also knows that there are moments and times during the battle when it is strategic to pause, regroup, rest, re-evaluate, change course, and so on. A pause is an intellectual choice; a hesitation is a symptom of emotional uncertainty.

One of the curses of risk avoidance is the phenomena of getting ready to get ready. Come on; recognize self-deception for what it truly is: risk-avoidance behaviour camouflaged as busywork. It makes you feel like you are making progress … but it is bullshit. We lie to ourselves. Recognize your truth and act accordingly. You are warriors. You do not hesitate. You act when you should, and pause when you need to. The true warrior has a catalogue of activities and conditions under which he knows that hesitation is deadly to a satisfactory outcome. When he finds himself engaged in these activities, or facing these conditions, he knows not to hesitate. Let me repeat that. He knows not to hesitate.

The true warrior also knows that there are activities and conditions under which action, without pausing for proper deliberation, is deadly to a satisfactory outcome. Being able to tell the difference is the gift of discernment, and acting accordingly is the practice of true wisdom.

Warriors, do not hesitate. You will succeed. So it is written.