Have you ever struggled with not doing what you know you must do?
One of the books from author Seth Godin which I read a while ago, named Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, dedicates plenty of pages speaking about a phenomenon he calls “The Resistance.” I don’t intend to go into the explanations of why Godin believes it exists, but I do want to define it
The Resistance refers to the force which pushes in the opposite direction when we are attempting to move forward towards something that is good for us (not superficially good, such as comfort or pleasure, but rather something actually good for us in the long run).
For example, if it’s good for our health to begin working out, The Resistance will push us to stay on the couch. However, don’t be fooled into thinking The Resistance will always want to keep us inactive. Sometimes, it will push us to become more active than necessary. For example, if it’s good for us to go to bed early because there’s an important commitment the following day, The Resistance will remind us of the pleasure of staying late watching movies and playing video games.