How to Play Your Way Into Excellence

When my work is not a reward in and of itself but a stepping-stone to something else, it becomes drudgery.

As a translator and writer, I know when my state of mind is incompatible with quality. It’s when I perceive my work as a means to an end – when I do it to achieve something else besides the joy of doing what I am doing.

It happens when I put words on the page just to get it done, finish the piece, push the “send” button, get paid, and go do something els…