There are many things that are important when you think of your work. The atmosphere, the people, the learning opportunities, the meaningfulness, the impact, the experience, the career options, the pay, and many other things.

When comparing my time at the first startup I was involved and the current one, I realized that for me it all comes together in one simple question that’s also pretty easy to answer:

How many mornings have you had where you weren’t excited about the upcoming day at work? Or even worse: didn’t want to go to work?

Right now I’m extremely lucky to still answer: not a single day. It’s been a bit above two years now – and a crazy journey that I’ve been part of with the incredibly amazing Podio team. Sure there have been plenty of days where I’d feel horrible during the day, bike home extremely tired and frustrated, and yet – the next morning comes and I’m happy to get to work.

Back at the first startup, there were many days after the initial honeymoon phase, where I’d fight against staying in bed, drag myself to our office already in a bad mood, and hustle through the long day. If you ask me I’d probably say that the crucial piece missing, and making all the difference, was purpose. (More about that another time.)

Purpose is big at Podio, and so is the vision. The team is made up of some of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with – and at the same time people I fully trust and would always have a beer with. Using the product we built 24/7 is an amazing experience. The daily feedback from users and customers is terrific, and I really feel like making a positive impact.

Should I pay attention to not get too comfortable? Probably yes. There’s some point where routine might take over and fool you into a wrong sense of work satisfaction. I’ll watch out for that point and for the day where I won’t be excited anymore about getting to work.

How do you feel about your work every morning?