Not all of us are at the point in our career where we only do things that interest us. This is why it’s called “work.”

So when your overflowing inbox is calling and spreadsheets must be updated (a particularly unpleasant task for me), what keeps you going? What motivate me wont necessarily motivate you.

We often try to borrow lessons and insights from others without doing the necessarily self-reflection. This results in a faux motivation that doesn’t last when faced with adversity.

This is also why your competition can become less relevant in the long term — you can do things for the right reasons, make excellence a habit, and determine what it is that makes the work worth it.

If you’re doing it for the wrong (or even undiscovered) reasons, I’m afraid that burnout might be on the horizon. Get to know yourself, ask the tough questions, and correct course as aggressively as possible when you find yourself off track.