The way things are, adopting an "attitude" towards life may not be everything we need to accomplish anything in it. The "attitude" line is more a pep talk that we offer to ourselves in moments in we need to command all our power for a one-time move. Attitude can be defined as a synthesis of a perception and behavior towards life, i.e. a way to think about things that makes them gain sense, and quick and strong action that matches that mindset. As such, attitude is good, and an essential part of the ways of our mind. But this attitude is the result of several processes of thinking, attitude is a resulting attribute, and not really a mechanism in itself. If somebody says that green vegetables are rich in iron and other nutritional elements, but I like to have yellow squash for my daily meal, it's not going to be by dyeing the squash in green that it will gain iron. Well, "attitude" is the way winners think, but is more a result of a programming process.
Here's the deal: the human being learns how to perceive things and how to act in life as a result of two kinds of factors: biochemical factors (a sort of a preprogrammed slate written in chemical code that which affect the way one gets joy from life) and learning by interacting with other human beings (this may be direct or indirect interaction). Now, "attitude" as a way of thinking all the time is not really the external attribute of "attitude" but an external effect coming out of internal programming. So what I want to say here is that all the hype about people who have an attitude (people of the winner sort) leads to confusion when trying to transfer this whole attitude to the mindset of those who want to be winners but aren't it yet). Although one is tempted to find sense in this sort of a sudden adoption of a winner's mindset, given that it's appealing to start thinking as a winner and behaving like one too, I believe that it is necessary to work on the roots of one's mindset, and let grow some attitude in the way the stem and leaves of a plant grow out of its roots. And this is not going to be a simple task. The complexity of it will be dealt with later in this same post.
We also mentioned the subject of body energy. Alas, without body energy little can be done. That doesn't mean that one needs to be an Olympian athlete, but that they're capable to channel this energy and translate it into action, and this in a continuous basis. Even a little old man can move as fast as a bullet, despite his small size. And for people with physical disabilities the possibility of acting fast is still there. On the anecdotal side, there are lots of people who have good body build but are reluctant to act. Their energy is somehow hindered to flow. Energy that flows can be seen in children. The flow of energy probably decreases in intensity with age, but the willpower to command the whole of our energy and transform our thoughts into actions and new creations will always be there, and for some of us it increases with age, as a result of a steady process of self programming.
Almost anybody is able to decide what to do, and also to act accordingly. The problem lies not in whether we have or lack this function set, but in the degree of command that we have to pursue a goal, whatever the goal might be. I assume that the following might have happened to you at least once: the weather outside is very hot, but you are longing for an ice cream, and the ice cream parlor is two blocks from your house, which you will need to cover by walk. Now, there are only two outcomes of the situation: either you walk the distance to the shop and get the treat, or you stay in the house, finding the heat outside not worthy to endure just for the sake of gratification. The problem that you have before you is one of choice, which might be considered one of the most important subjects that the human being is compelled to face in life.
The question, though, is not a simple one. The simpler version will be: if my longings are strong enough, I will assume the pain of walking the way to the ice cream parlor, and if my longings fall short of that, then I will just stay at home. An ice cream is a trivial good, but what would happen if we translate the problem to: I need to study German to improve my salary and future job opportunities, which will allow me to buy more of what I like in the future. But in present time studying German is a very hard task. So, should I assume the pain of my studies, which will cover me the way to a better life, or shouldn't I? So, now, if one is a motivated person, they will definitely choose to study German. But not always for the previously stated reason: they might just like to have a chance to act. So we lose the link between the goal (an improvement in life, an increase of welfare) and the action stated as required (study). On the other side, a person with very low motivation might, despite really longing to expand their welfare basis and improving their life, say no to the project just because he doesn't feel strong enough to bear the labors involved. And, sadly, he might be very wrong in that precise assessment: that he lacks what it takes to do the job. He might just be a victim of delusion, he might just be being swindled by a tricky perception in not assuming works that are affordable to him and even to his emotional side.
Again, the motivated person is protected against making a bad decision in that regard, because they act all the time. People in constant motion are like dynamos that produce energy, and that energy can be used in getting good things from life. People with critically low levels of motivation will say no to excellent options to improve their life. So the problem lies in the parcel of motivation, and the problem exists only for those who lack it, not for those who have it in huge amounts. Try to do this: explain to somebody who lacks motivation the welfare they might get after reading a book, visiting a museum, or going to a party. They might agree with you, but left to their own devices, they will let down the options. Even this happens all the time: parents and friends explaining to somebody the importance of they getting some education. People who are not motivated will let down these propositions, sometimes despite they being bright and very capable.
So, how to master that devilish imp that is the motivation blocker? How to tame it, how to chase it away? This takes us to the following subject: some of the people who are not motivated for their own sake are motivated for the sake of others, i.e., to act for the welfare of others, but rarely for their own sake. This makes the point even clearer: motivation is a mechanism that pushes people to act, but sometimes part of the mechanism is upset, and in this case we respond to the needs of others, but not to our own needs. Tricky! Again, this shows that people can be motivated when the motivation comes from outside, even if they lack the essential component that is self motivation.
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