Doing the right thing is usually hard, but doing the right thing when it's going to make things hard for months or years? Very hard.
The great captain waits for the right moment to drop anchor or raise the sail. Or, as Prescott said in that famous line at Bunker Hill, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" in other words, wait until the right moment even under duress.
Patience is underrated. Composure under pressure is only known by few.