Our goals must be clear. Our determination must be strong. We must say “no” to things that interfere with those goals. This must become a constant practice. It’s always more comfortable to slip back into harmful old habits. Falling into vices or addictions once led us through bitter moments. These made us lose what had cost us so much to achieve. When we truly want what we envision for ourselves, we don’t fall into the same patterns over and over again.

It’s easier to return to unhealthy eating habits than to improve our diet, or to stay home instead of exercising. It’s easier to spend hours scrolling through social media than to pick up a book or learn a new skill. It’s easier to return repeatedly to a relationship that isn’t good for us. Learning how to be alone and looking toward the future with optimism is more challenging. Our emotions betray us, and they are terrible at making decisions. The easy path leads to an easy life. And when everything is easy, we don’t train ourselves for difficult moments. That’s when, finding ourselves without time to fix what we did wrong, we regret not having prepared better.

We must be strict with ourselves and recognize that we are our own best ally—and also our worst enemy. The real competition is with the person in the mirror. We must say “no” every time that person stands between us and our dreams.