flexagon | What motivates you?

Just had a talk with Dan the Cat about what motivates him, workwise -- something I've been interested in for a long time, since he's always seemed to enjoy having a large influence on the small company we used to be (and not always in a very pleasant way; for example, seeming to relish the idea that it could sink the company if he messed up badly enough). He said today that a lot of it is about control to him: being able to make changes if need be, and yes, being important to the company.

I think I care more about being important to the end user. It takes a lot for me to have a feeling about corporate entities. It's VERY hard for me to imagine, for example, finding motivation based on the company earning a lot from my product, the way Dan was talking about. But I can be motivated by the thought of causing the user annoyance or frustration if I don't make a feature easy to use.

I think I'm motivated by my paycheck, the knowledge that someone is using the things I write, by learning new things, and by seeing the things I do take effect (yay, programming). Like anyone, I'm always to some extent in search of approval from those around me, and can be motivated by praise or disapproval. Power, not so much....

What motivates you?