The applause fades in a minute. Why you did it has to last longer.

The reward from other people is real and extremely short. A minute of noise, a few messages, and then it is gone and you are back with the work itself, which is where almost all of the time is spent. A reason that belongs to you survives the quiet.

Ask what you would still like about this if nobody saw it. Keep that part in view during the ordinary weeks when no one is watching. If the honest answer is that there is nothing, that is worth knowing early rather than after years of it.