What is american attitude?

There was a pattern: I would come up with an idea without consulting any of my local friends or colleagues and attempt to put it into action. Locals would warn me that my plan wouldn’t work and I’d ignore them, assuming that their can’t-do attitude was rooted in laziness or apathy. Then, as I’d been warned, I’d run into obstacles and, instead of adjusting my plan to reality, I’d tried to bull my way through, assuming energy, persistence, creativity, and a can-do attitude was all it would take. In the end, I would accomplish nothing; I would have just worn myself out, puzzled the locals, and pissed off the government.