What makes you tick?

Years ago, a friend of mine was filling up one of those questionnaires that business schools send you to fill in before admissions. At the end of the questionnaire was a really good question... it went something like this:

If YOU had a question to ask, what would it be?

My friend's room-mate came up with this, spontaneously (and almost nonchalantly!) - 'What makes you tick?'

Deceptively simple, ain't it. I'd say you are really lucky if you can answer that spontaneously... and truthfully ;) Very few of us have that level of clarity. What is it? ... challenges ... recognition ... opportunities to grow, master something... authority... helping others... feeling useful ...

How many of us really do what we love? How many of us know what we love? How long can we do it before we get bored and yearn for something new? Yeah.. yeah... I've always had my suspicions that Maslow might be right! But that pyramid is not easy to climb, is it? I mean, there are jobs/careers to change, cities/countries to be moved, families to be relocated, retooling of the attitude et al. Where does self-esteem end and ego begin? How much is enough? Is it ever enough?

Did you really think that a blog that has a question in its title will have answers?