Ever thought about that? Recently I heard this phrase spoken and I was caught by the statement. First, depending on how you define AND view the word, ‘failure’, then fatal isn’t necessarily part of the definition. Second, potentially, hesitation can be or become fatal. What is ‘hesitation’ to you? How/Does it affect your words or behavior? In what ways? From the other viewpoint, for many people they only see ‘fatal’ in failure. Failure can be a learning tool… again, depending on definition and how you respond.
However, the more you think about hesitation the more it needs precise definition because hesitation can be a check in your spirit. A check in your spirit about what you may be about to do or say can be a great warning system… when you listen to it. A check allows you a moment to step back from the situation and determine if what you are planning on is what YOU should be doing/saying. It has always served me well (when I actually listened to it).
Webster’s definitions: failure – “… a lack of success; the act of neglecting or forgetting to do or perform; an instance or loss of the ability to work properly/normally; falling short…” hesitation – (defined word by word); synonyms “…faltering, fence-sitting, indecision, irresolution, pause, hesitancy”. You can easily see the relationship between failure and hesitation so the leap to ‘fatal’ is understandable. Not necessarily accurate though.
I completely agree that failure isn’t always fatal, especially when it is a learning. When we take our mistakes, mis-steps and use them as a standard to judge what we do, then the potential for less error occurs. Depending on the situation, hesitation can be fatal when it’s an emergency situation. However, apart from an emergency, hesitation can cause us to quickly rethink what is occurring in order to provide the most effective response.
