Do you praise yourself, friends, children, athletes for how talented they are, how smart they are, and in general how special they are when they accomplish something? It makes you feel good, it most likely makes them feel good but is it the best way to go about it? Carol Dweck discusses this point in the video below and more extensively in her book "Mindset" (haven't gotten to read it yet, but it's on the list).
I found a summary on Professor Dweck's work in the book "Bounce" and it discussed that encouraging people based on their talent and smarts isn't the best way to motivate them long term. Her team has found that encouraging effort and the desire to accomplish something is actually much more beneficial in the long wrong and help the person develop the desire to continue to get better. Believe and you will achieve.
This might be a good way of looking at changing motivational tactics with students, kids, and athletes.
Enjoy.