When my dad passed away, the world kept moving. Cars filled the roads. People answered emails. The news cycle churned.
But for me, time stopped.
Grief has a way of doing that. It rips the ground out from under you and hands you a truth you can’t ignore: life is shorter, more fragile, and more unpredictable than we want to admit.
In those first days, I kept thinking about all the things I’d been putting off — the conversations I assumed I’d get to, the chances I thought I’d have, the ways I’d told myself, “Not now. Later.”
And suddenly, “later” wasn’t good enough anymore.
The Seduction of “Later”
We live as if we have an endless supply of tomorrows. That’s why we hesitate. That’s why we stall.
We wait until the timing feels perfect.
We wait until the fear quiets down.
We wait for the stars to finally align.
But waiting doesn’t protect us. It just steals from us quietly, day by day.
- How many people stay in jobs that drain them because they think they’ll “make a change next year”?
- How many relationships wither because someone keeps saying, “I’ll reach out when things slow down”?
- How many dreams die unopened in notebooks because the writer, the artist, the builder said, “I’ll start when I’m ready”?
- How many entrepreneurs sit on an idea, waiting for the business plan to be flawless, while someone else takes it to market first?
Hesitation is loss in slow motion.
The Weight of Hesitation
I work in the world of decisions. I’ve seen what hesitation costs:
- The business deal that disappears while someone debates.
- The opportunity handed to someone braver.
- The regret etched into someone’s voice when they say, “I should have done it sooner.”
The longer you wait, the heavier a decision becomes. The more you circle it, the less clear it feels. And hesitation feeds itself until the window is gone.
What My Dad’s Passing Made Unshakable
Before my dad died, I knew life was short. After he died, I understood it in my bones.
It wasn’t just grief — it was clarity. A reminder that the clock is always ticking, whether we acknowledge it or not.
We don’t decide how much time we’re given. But we do decide how much hesitation we allow to steal from that time.
That’s why decisiveness matters. Not because acting fast makes you brave. Not because saying “yes” is always right.
Decisiveness is the antidote to the lie of “later.”
Everyday Hesitations We All Recognize
This isn’t about climbing Everest or quitting your job tomorrow. It’s about the everyday hesitations that quietly shape our lives:
- Saying “I love you” while you still can.
- Taking that coffee with an old friend.
- Finally booking the trip you’ve been talking about for years.
- Launching the product while the fire is still in your gut — even if it’s not “perfect.”
- Saying no to something that’s draining you, even if it feels uncomfortable.
Small choices. Ordinary moments. But if you keep putting them off, one day they’re gone.
Readiness Is a Myth
No one ever feels perfectly ready to start the book, launch the business, or make the call. Fear doesn’t vanish before you act. Confidence doesn’t arrive in advance.
You don’t get clarity first and then act. You act, and clarity follows.
That’s what decisiveness really is. Not the absence of fear — but the refusal to let fear hold the steering wheel.
A Question for You
Right now, there’s something you’ve been putting off. I don’t know what it is, but you do.
Ask yourself:
If tomorrow didn’t come, would I wish I had done it today?
If the answer is yes, then waiting is already costing you.
The Wake-Up Call
My dad’s passing left me with a truth I’ll never shake: hesitation steals more from us than failure ever could.
So take the trip. Have the conversation. Write the first page. Start the project. Say the words.
Not tomorrow.
Not when it’s easy.
Not when you feel fully prepared.
Now.
Because life is short.
Because hesitation is expensive.
Because the only real mistake is thinking you still have more time.
👉 If this spoke to you, share it. Someone you know may be waiting for the reminder to stop waiting.
Originally published on Medium.
