Unfortunately, perhaps, sometimes life is easy and the law of least effort is operating. Learned helplessness is the hopeless attitude of the pessimist or the depressed person. If you were left out of that process, you can still teach yourself the merits of intense effort. While research has shown that industriousness generalizes well from one task to another, it is not known how far it generalizes. Followed by, a proud, concerted effort to make the next Dean's list, etc.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Measure the results of your efforts. Frequently review your reasons for your goals, the results of your effort training, and other techniques for increasing your motivation. Take pride in your successful self-help efforts. Time involved The time commitment varies greatly depending on the methods used. The listing and remembering of your reasons for changing or achieving something would take less an hour initially and only a few minutes each day.