"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome."

Having motivation isn’t always easy. It’s even harder when it comes to doing difficult tasks. Not to mention, difficult tasks in which we’re unsure what the outcome will be or we don’t believe the outcome will be positive. Simply put, it’s hard to be motivated to do something we ourselves don’t think will work out.

This quote, by William James, hints at the fact that we need to start out believing things will work out in the end. Otherwise, the difficult tasks before us are made even more difficult, if not impossible. With the wrong, negative attitude, we’ll think: What’s the point of trying if this isn’t going to go anywhere? Therefore, our effort toward that task is less, directly proportional to our attitude. And when our effort is less, so is the outcome.

So, why not shift our attitude? We have nothing to lose. The right attitude in the face of doubt and uncertainty can only have a positive impact on our efforts and on the outcome of our efforts.