You don’t have to read many of these Monday morning messages to know that I’m a personal responsibility guy. I believe it, coach it, expect it and live it. Actually, it’s the only way to remain sane and motivated. While it’s easy to blame your lack of motivation on your surroundings or other people, it’s really yours to take on. Being personally responsible—responsible for your person—is something you must assume to sustain your motivation over time.

There is some interesting research by Marina Milyavskaya and her colleagues (2012) that demonstrate this fact. They found that there is a strong correlation between inventors with patents and their high scores on an inspiration desirability scale (Thrash and Elliot, 2003). Both frequency and intensity of motivation were found to be significant to inventors as they pursued their creative ideas. You can do the same.

First, make sure your thinking is clear. You have an important career making contributions that matter. They are valuable to your clients, your firm and the community you serve. If you don’t believe it, you need to quickly reorient your thinking or find something else to do. Just earning a paycheck is fairly close to squandering what you really have to offer.

Then, find something that inspires you to keep going. Look for some favorite quotes, a personal statement of purpose, a prayer, or some other prompt that revs you up for the day. You’ve got to find something that catches and sustains your attention.

Your motivated colleagues take responsibility for their drive. They’ve learned that they are responsible for themselves and strive tenaciously to remain focused and purposeful. How do you compare to those who get it right? What could you do to remain focused and motivated to bring your A-game more consistently?