Birju, this is a great post. I think it's a very helpful practice to be reflective about the work you deeply care about. If I reflect on 'Why I Volunteer with CharityFocus', I might say: --to practice giving w/out any strings attached; and subsequently, to have no scarce resources and still experience a strong sense of abundance --to practice supporting other people's journeys, and experience the resulting benefits of compassion and patience permeate other parts of your life --to witness a cocoon of inspiration, that brings out the best in people and births synergies where sums of the parts is greater than the whole --to be part of a posse of 'noble friends' whose die-hard commitment to selflessness strengthens your own --to have a context that honors subtle acts of service, where the reward isn't just in the impact but in the inner transformation that precedes the outcome. I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind right now. :)