I can basically change myself if I just had the motivation
I think that this is an idealistic way to view it. Try this instead:
I can change my environment, which can lead to changes within myself
I know that I have changed a lot, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, over my life - but if I look back on it every major shift in my perspective or behavior was precipitated by a change in my environment. I think it's useful to think of myself dialectically, where environment is the base and attitude is the superstructure, and approach self improvement from that angle.
But of course the limiting factor here is that you don't have total control over the environment that you're in. The hard part of self help is identifying the things you can change and separating them from the things that you can't, which is part of the reason why I think a lot of advice boils down to really unhelpful "mindset" stuff. There are concrete steps you can take that will result in an improved mindset, which might be the first step to taking concrete steps to improving other things, but you can't just brute force your mindset with willpower because as soon as you hit a challenge you'll revert to ingrained habits and might double down on them in a really unhelpful way (think binge eating).
I think that this is an idealistic way to view it. Try this instead:
I know that I have changed a lot, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, over my life - but if I look back on it every major shift in my perspective or behavior was precipitated by a change in my environment. I think it's useful to think of myself dialectically, where environment is the base and attitude is the superstructure, and approach self improvement from that angle.
But of course the limiting factor here is that you don't have total control over the environment that you're in. The hard part of self help is identifying the things you can change and separating them from the things that you can't, which is part of the reason why I think a lot of advice boils down to really unhelpful "mindset" stuff. There are concrete steps you can take that will result in an improved mindset, which might be the first step to taking concrete steps to improving other things, but you can't just brute force your mindset with willpower because as soon as you hit a challenge you'll revert to ingrained habits and might double down on them in a really unhelpful way (think binge eating).