Three phases of overcoming something hard almost always starts with you thinking that you must do it, then thinking maybe you can actually do it as you keep spending more time on it and developing better understanding or skills you didn’t have before, then finally thinking to yourself that you will obviously do it and it’s just a matter of time now. If you are obsessed with this thing, whatever it might be, then by definition, you naturally start from the first phase by feeling like you must do it, no matter what. It is worth mentioning that it might very well be the case that you are obsessed with that thing: it is just that you MUST do it; it can be studying a hard subject that must pass because otherwise you will fail from the semester, or it can be exercising daily to avoid atrophy in your muscles because otherwise your health will degrade significantly, or something completely different. Believe it or not, transitioning from the “I can” phase to “I will” phase is easier than going from “I must” to “I can”. The reason is intuitively simply: once you see or prove to yourself that you can do something that you couldn’t before, you will keep doing it more; and this process may go on until you master the underlying thing. Once the can hits, the will follows. However, most people struggle the most when they are in the very beginning of this potentially long and time-taking process – when they feel like they can’t but they are burdened by the pressure of the must. That’s where stoicism type of mentality may actually work: turn off the feelings and do what must be done regardless. You will feel the kick of dopamine flooding your system the moment you start switching from “I must” to “I can”. That’s also where you will get the most exciting Aha! moments of your life. The “will” part will follow naturally once you feel like you have actually cracked the shell.