Too Young to Know It Can’t be Done
Great subject.  Of all the things we talk about here at hn, sometimes I think this may be the most important.  The best lesson my mentor ever taught me was, "I didn't know that I couldn't do it, so I did it."  I think that this attitude, as much as anything else, helps us accomplish great things.<p>I've always had a problem, though, with the implied correlation between this attitude and age.  I imagine we all have lots of counter-examples: younger workers who don't believe something's worth trying and older workers who are relentless in trying new things.<p>OP mentions lots of 20 and 30 year olds with can-do attitudes on very ambitious projects.  From this he infers that older workers don't think the same way.<p>Let me suggest an alternative conclusion: anyone in the 40's or 50's with such a can-do attitude is probably extremely successful and therefore, less available.  Most of the workers I regularly encounter in their 40's and 50's have jaded attitudes.  The go getters are still out there, just harder to find.  So when you do find them, you've struck gold.  Heavy experience and great attitude make a formidable combination.