The following are just my thoughts and opinions. Respectful dialogue or debate is welcome.

I've been thinking about the phrase "the Path of Least Resistance."

Does this carry a positive or a negative connotation for you? Sometimes the phrase has been applied to those who are considered too lazy or undisciplined to carry through a task that requires more effort than they are willing to invest. Sometimes the phrase refers to the fastest and most efficient way to accomplish a particular goal.

How to make sense of this? I believe the critical element is the definition of "resistance." In my opinion, there are two kinds of resistance: external resistance, and internal resistance:

- EXTERNAL RESISTANCE refers to difficulty regarding resources and circumstances: money, contacts, time, opportunities.
- INTERNAL RESISTANCE refers to a person's motivation and mindset when these are out of sync with the goal that one is supposedly trying to achieve.
- INTERNAL COMMITMENT refers to a person's motivation and mindset when in harmony with the goal that they are trying to achieve.

When there is external resistance but internal commitment, then resistance is a tool for growth, and can be overcome. For example, a person who really and passionately wants to become a doctor knows that there will be long hours, short nights, lots of studying, and many years of preparation before achieving the final goal. Any number of roadblocks or speedbumps may present themselves along the way. Maybe the person has never had particularly good study habits, despite an interest in medicine. Maybe there isn't enough money to pay for med school and the person has to work on top of that. Maybe there are personal conflicts with a particular professor. Maybe there is some family emergency just before a big test. Any number of challenges can and will present themselves, but so long as there is INTERNAL COMMITMENT, then the EXTERNAL RESISTANCE can be overcome. In this case, the "path of least (external) resistance" would be tantamount to giving up, since it means sacrificing something you really want to do because of circumstances.

However, when resistance is internal to a particular task, no amount of external energy will make the task succeed, at least not permanently. Duty and obligation will eventually give out, and either the task will fail, or the person's own happiness will suffer. For example, a person who undertakes a diet without changing their thoughts and attitudes about food will be constantly tempted by the foods which he/she has denied him/herself. You convinced yourself that you should give up red meat, when in reality you still love and crave red meat. You convinced yourself that smoking is unhealthy but you can't fathom drinking coffee without lighting a cigarette.

This is what I refer to as internal resistance. One's will contradicts one's actions, and one of the two must inevitably suffer. You might never eat another steak in your life, but you will always crave it, and feel that lack. Your will suffers. Or, you'll give in to your craving for steak, sooner rather than later, and your original goal will have failed. Your activity suffers. But it will have failed because it wasn't in tune with what you REALLY and HONESTLY wanted, anyway. In this case, the "Path of Least (Internal) Resistance" should be understood and followed, since if you can't find the internal motivation to make something work, maybe you should be doing something else altogether.

Therefore, if you have to force yourself too hard to accomplish something you supposedly want to do, take a moment to really ask yourself about how much you want it, whether it's honest and true and right FOR YOU. Is your motivation coming from your mind or from your heart? Are you constantly finding logical explanations and justifications for what you are doing? Or do you know, without a doubt, that you are passionate about what you are doing and that it makes you happy? Follow your heart, because it will never leave you alone anyway, unless you shut it down completely; and that, my friends, is a sad, sad fate. Return to your passion.

In summary, I suggest you take the "Path of Least Resistance" is an internal compass. If you have to constantly force yourself to do something without any joy or desire, then maybe you should change your course. Find a path with less (internal) resistance, and you will find the means to overcome the (external) resistance that you might encounter.

Internal Commitment + External Resistance =
Resistance is easier to overcome. Your will and your activity are in harmony and complement each other, even if there are challenges.

Internal Resistance + External Resistance =
Resistance is harder to overcome. Your will and your activity are at odds. You will have a hard time overcoming challenges if you're not sufficiently motivated. It's possible that success in your activity will come at the expense of your most potential happiness.