Today, I want to look at some research that has been done into what motivates people and, um, particularly on what is called the 'mind set'- or more simply the mental attitude- that highly motivated people have. And, of course, the attitude of those who aren't so motivated, or who lose their motivation. Now, it's obvious that motivation is crucial to performance, but that doesn't tell us where it comes from. Why is it that some people work hard and do well while others can work just as hard and don't, why some are committed to what they are doing and others aren't? Finding answers to this question would be extremely useful to educators, as well as in other areas of life. Businesses, for example, have long believed that financial incentives - bonuses, perks, pay rises - are the great motivators, and to an extent they can make a difference, but what we are calling the mind-set is more important. What has made it difficult to find out what the causes of motivation are, is that motivation and the capacity for hard work can be mistaken for talent - thinking it's a gift. Either you've got it or you haven't. People who believe this have a fixed mind set and are not only going to perform less well than they could, but it's also an attitude that will affect their whole outlook on life. Some say that if talent is something people are born with and you're unlucky enough not to have any, then there's not much point in putting in all that extra effort for no real reward.