How to Stay Motivated

I've always been full of piss and vinegar, but over the last 3 months or so have been finding it hard to stay motivated as it relates to my career.

My story is one of a pretty big under dog that basically did everything in my power to break into any type of role within IB/Cap Mkts/M&A. I'm not a very academic person and my SAT score was literally a 900 or something like that. This, coupled with my extremely middle class background, landed me in community college. Nothing wrong with this of course, but I knew deep down that I wanted better for myself.

I started working full time right when I graduated high school (candidly, a bunch of odd jobs, would do anything to make money). When I turned 19 I caught a pretty big break and was able to weasel myself into a back office role at a BB. I played the "good kid" card, doing everything I could to improve my life, and it worked…they hired me. My starting salary was $44k, which at 19 felt like all the money I would ever need. The job was flexible (I.e. could work around my school schedule) and also offered tuition reimbursement.

I ultimately transferred to a state school after two years of community college, and during this period of working full time in a back office role / wrapping up my undergrad degree, I stumbled upon the whole realm of "investment banking".

Based on what I read, I was the perfect candidate. I Could work long hours with a smile on my face. Eat a shit sandwich with a grin. Hell, I was already pulling 70/80 hour weeks as a literal teenager, working full time and going to school full time. I could cut it in IB.I'll spare you the whole story, but by the

age of 25 I was FINALLY able to break into a front office role as an analyst in a product group at my BB. By no means was this easy, it was a huge pain in the ass, but I never gave up, and I did it. All on my own. I'll never forget the feeling of getting the call after the interview…the team loved me and HR was putting an offer together. Honestly one of the proudest moments of my life. I fucking did it.

Fast forward to today. I'm 28 now, and am 2.5 years into this role. I worked my ass off as an analyst and was top bucket both years. The bonuses were mind blowing to me. It's one thing to read about bonuses on WSO, but when you get that call from your boss and he tells you you're getting $X, it really is an unbelievable feeling, especially considering my extremely middle class upbringing. I got promoted to Associate last summer and also got a nice 3 week sabbatical. Not bad…

I was super motivated when I joined the group. Wanted to prove myself, prove I belonged, prove I was a good hire, etc. and I did just that. I am now well positioned within my team and within the organization more broadly. I 100% have a clear pathway in front of me.

I like the product that my team provides, our team culture is amazing, and the hours honestly aren't too bad. Most days I'm pretty unplugged by 8pm at night. Weekend work is minimal. Very rarely am I blown up out of nowhere. Typically have a lot of foresight into transactions/activity due to the nature of the product I cover. All good things.

However, over the last few months, I have really struggled to stay motivated. My entire life I have been pushing super hard, always chasing something. I am my happiest when I am chasing something and I get it. That's my high.

Now that I've made it to this point, I feel like I have nothing to chase anymore. It leaves me with an empty feeling, that I really can't explain. I've also pretty much reached financial independence too. I'm 28 and my net worth is just a tad under $1mm. I could work at Pizza Hut the rest of my life and would still end up a decamillionaire assuming I never added another dollar to my portfolio and just let it ride.

Has anyone else run into this? What keeps you motivated?

I certainly don't know everything, and certainly don't have everything figured out, but part of me feels like I've already "beat the game".

Part of me feels like I am losing the fire / drive inside of me. I feel like I need to be working harder, chasing something, etc., but I don't know what that is at this point.