As someone who has been through basic training, I don't think of it as something that is done to someone. The recruit is still an active participant in it. I've seen many people wash out because they didn't realize that the military doesn't create that "whole-assing" spirit in you, but gives you the environment to create it in yourself. This bodes well for the idea that one can "do it alone". However, I don't think you actually can. It's natural to reach periods where one can't find the motivation to go on and the temptation will be to give up. Unless you already have the dedication you're trying to create, it's very likely that you won't make it through those periods. This is where I don't think anyone can do this alone. People need someone to drag them through these periods. That's the function that basic training serves: it makes it very hard to give up. In the end, I think it is possible to create that drive without joining the military. I don't think it's possible to do it alone. Hopefully, you can find someone to help, someone who will help push you through the low motivation periods and keep you going.
You make a very good point about environments. Being in an environment where you perceive tasks as absolutely crucial can lead to higher discipline in order to accomplish them in my opinion. I’m not sure if it still counts as achieving discipline on one’s own, but making yourself perceive difficult tasks as absolutely necessary or putting yourself in an environment where those tasks are your responsibility might be a pragmatic way to go about that goal.
So, the point is to have an environment within which achievement and discipline are common practices. Once a person enters such environment, this whole process should come easily. It seems natural now that I think of it, for I heard quite a bit about surrounding yourself with people who smile sincerely and get things done if you want to do the same. Thank you. Could you describe how basic training goes? How is the atmosphere of spirit-crafting created?
Basic training is a shock at first. Then one either acclimates to it or drops out, but eventually it becomes routine. The shock period is where most of the spirit-crafting happens. I spent quite a lot of time in my head pondering questions like "Why the fuck did I sign up for this?" I had to earnestly come up with an answer to it every day. Eventually, I was scraping the bottom of the barrel for motivation. I realized that having doubts about motivation and the end-goal is not, in itself, a reason to stop or try less hard. This had the effect of making me more focused on the task at hand instead of my own uncertainties. The atmosphere is created by making very simple things seem very unpleasant and making quitting seem very easy. Basic training only covers very simple things: mainly marching, shooting, and keeping things neat and clean. Learning these things is made to be far more stressful than it has to be. All the while quitting seems like a totally achievable option. (It's not.) This forces one to evaluate their motivations.