Dying to self is no easy task. Since we are embracing ethics that are foreign to our very nature and are not of our own making (they belong to Jesus), dying to self more often than not involves a real fight when we try to surrender our will to the will of God
When the time to let go is at hand there is no 'fight'.
http://www.thetransformedsoul.com/additional-studies/spiritual-life-studies/dying-to-self