When my alarm goes off, it’s time to walk. No matter what I do, I make a choice. Do I choose to make progress or to watch the pitch pass me by? When I’m sitting down with coffee, it’s time to pray. No matter what I do, I make a choice. Do I choose to intimately connect with who I am or waste 15 minutes of my day on YouTube? Again and again throughout my day, I’m offered these choices.

I know that when I put in work, when I take action, I gain the result. When I walk every day and eat well, I feel better. When I pray throughout the day, I have more stamina and virtue. So why is it so easy for me to walk away from these good things?

Michael Hyatt calls it the “resistance.” A psychological force that opposes our good and bold actions. It’s the internal dialogue that tries to keep us totally sedate in life. Fear, self doubt, and uncertainty cause the resistance to paralyze us. Paradoxically, while trying to keep us “safe,” the resistance is really holding us back from greatness.

We don’t have to live every day perfectly. But when it’s time to put in the good work and your psychology resists, step up and overcome.