Mortification of the will

"Mortifications are those actions which subdue our bodily desires for comfort by denying ourselves.  The word mortification comes from the Latin mortificationem, which means “a killing, or a putting to death.” The goal is to be detached enough even from our own bodies to give of ourselves in a complete way in imitation of Christ crucified.  

"But there is a primary way we are to give of ourselves, and that is within our vocation.  A mother who gives her body over for the growing child within, a father who works long, backbreaking hours to provide for the little souls at home, the priest who rises at night to anoint a dying person—this comes before anything else.  It is a way to sanctity we don’t need to guess at.  We just need to embrace it.  A practical kind of penance.  And sometimes, the obedience to our state in life requires the mortification of our will more than anything else."

-from an excellent post about the fasting God wants