When you take the path of some resistance, you end up telling someone what he or she needs to hear rather than what that person wants to hear. Or you might choose to do something that requires physical exertion over letting a machine do the work. And it almost always means going beyond yourself in service to others. The path of least resistance counts on “the system” to help those in need. The path of some resistance doesn’t mean you can or should help everyone, but it acknowledges the tragedy of helping no one.

The path of some resistance also teaches you not to give up when you hit big resistance. Walt Disney faced several financial setbacks in the 1920s and was $4million in debt in the early 1930s. But he pulled together just enough financing to cover the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and that film’s success in 1938 not only pulled the Walt Disney Company out of bankruptcy but also financed its new studios.

“You may not realize it when it happens,” Disney once said, “but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”