She's leading him around by the nose. She's holding him back. I'm out of gas. We're running out of steam. A different means for achieving a purpose is a different path.
Forces affecting action are forces affecting motion.
The inability to act is the inability to move. Progress made is distance traveled or distance from goal. We will consider examples of each of these one by one, including a number of special cases. It is smooth sailing from here on in. It's all downhill from here.