This seems a little sad on one hand, on the other I get it, but careful the path to the jaded side. Personally, I do it because I enjoy pushing it as far as possible, for myself. I feel like I have a long long way to go to where I want to be. That underlying feeling keeps me coming at it. Of course the flip side to jaded is burned out, so you have to watch out for pushing too hard. When I first became a manager 10 years ago one of my designers asked me why my standards are so high, the exec team doesn’t care… I replied my standards were high for myself. As long as you understand that it is for your own satisfaction and enjoyment and you don’t do it for the proverbial pat on the back, I think its all good.