The article has been published a while ago, but it is still good: In December, Derek Sivers (known e.g. as the founder of CD Baby) published an interesting article on his website, where he asks a friend the question:

„Nobody’s going to help you. It’s all up to you. Does hearing that discourage you or motivate you?“

The starting point was the question: How do I find someone to invest into my band, so that it can become successfull. Derek Sivers explains: There's nobody (anymore) who will invest into a band just like that. Only when a band is already successful, people will be willing to invest (because they see the potential to earn money themselves).

And regarding motivation, here's Seth Godin talking about goals:

„The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run. It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact... those people have goals.“