People ask sometimes, “What time in your day do you first experience Resistance?” 

My answer: “The second I open my eyes.” 

Why do I go to the gym first thing in the morning? To confront that negative force and establish a pattern of positive commitment for the day. Have you ever logged onto Navy SEAL Jocko Willink’s site? Every morning he posts a photo of his wristwatch at the moment he completes his workout. It’s inevitably Zero Dark Thirty. Jocko’s been retired from active duty for years, but he has never slackened off from the self-discipline he manifested in “the Teams.”

My friend Randy Wallace (who wrote Braveheart) has a mindset he calls “Little Successes.” From the minute he wakes up, Randy sets his mind to establishing—and mentally crediting himself with—a series of positive achievements, however modest, one after another. He counts brushing his teeth. He counts taking a shower. He too works out like a maniac early in the morning. 

Resistance wakes up with Randy and with Jocko, just like it does with Twyla Tharp and with you and with me. This is why we train early, this is why we build habits, this is why we school ourselves in self-discipline and reinforce ourselves with “little successes.” To steel ourselves against that dragon of Resistance that we all know we’re going to face when we sit down to do our work.