This leads to a viscous cycle that few people seem to escape from. You seem to have some small measure of success as you try in vain to "force" yourself to apply what you learn and it works for a little while, but you inevitably slip back. You hopelessly rely on books and tapes to "pump" you up in order to take action on your goals. The Missing Link To It All The truth is, deep down inside you know what needs to be done in order to achieve your goals. You've read about the principles of success and know the techniques. You know that you need to be persistent, do hard work, take action, visualize, believe, etc., but it's as if you're missing the link to it all. What's that missing link? People who achieve their goals do all of that naturally. They believe naturally, they take action naturally, they work hard naturally...