Student Motivation and Persistence

As a prelude to this Friday's (5/27) live event at noon ET: Coffee Break: Let's Talk about Student Motivation and Persistence:  

If motivation is energy within us to act on an internal motive, to see it through, even if you don’t always get the desired outcome every time.

And

If persistence implies sustained effort toward the goal despite obstacles that have any negative perceived influences.

Then

Questions:

As a practitioner, how do you motivate students or promote their motivation?

Considering the plethora of non-educational obstacles and discouragements that adult students may encounter, what supports to students do you provide to overcome them (obstacles)?

Since motivation is an internal motive, it reminds me that many students perceive external factors as the sole affect on their success or failure, when if fact they have control internally. Therefore, I think it's imperative to help students recognize their successes and the action they took to make them happen.