Motivation is all about obligations

Allow me to preach for a moment: The only way to aspire in life is to constantly be under the net of obligations and commitments -- ideally, ones you have formed for yourself. Yet almost equally valuable are other commitments that society has imposed upon you and you have endorsed, however actively or passively. To walk down the street without any obligations at all is to live an inactive, hence inhuman life. This could sound like a terribly burdensome view of life. Yet the secret to mastering it is not unburdening yourself, but finding the strength to bear the burdens as though they are light.

See Kundera.