This is a break from my VMware Storage Series based on some recent conversations I have been having. I was recently given a reason to consider my professional career, what direction do I want to go, what is important, and what motivates me.

The conversation started a few weeks ago, and a friend, someone I had worked with in a previous life was discussing why he had joined a startup company with a bright future. He told me he was motivated by having fun. Money and the people he worked with were secondary, but having fun was really what he was all about.

I started discussing the option of joining him at the startup, with my friends, my wife, and a number of people in the industry I have a great deal of respect for. As I began to explore, a reoccurring theme kept coming up. I didn’t have a clear picture of what motivated me.

After much debating and discussing, I have come to realize that what motivates me is learning, teaching, and succeeding. I love winning, moving the ball forward as it were. I enjoy speaking in front of customers and perspective customers, and I love to get people excited about technology, and helping them see how it can help them.

I firmly believe this is a critical turning point in my career. I have chosen to stay where I am, I like my job, and my manager has assembled a team that is second to no one. I am doing my best to be a good contributing member, and I feel like there is plenty of room for growth as long as I put in the effort. It is the right decision for me at this point in my life.

So now that I have gone on this little journey of discovery, I would challange you, pause for a moment, take a look at your life, and ask yourself. “What motivates me?”