How do you KNOW that you've done something well?

Some people just "know", instinctively, that they've done a good job. Nothing anybody tells them can sway them. Some people need reassurance, whether in word, in reward, in admiration. I wonder if there's an underlying difference between public sector workers and private sector?

If you are driven by material gain, that's a symptom of external reference, of needing reassurance. You want something external to you (house, fancy car, trophy spouse) to remind you that you are doing a good job. You will do what gets you the reward, because the reward tells you that you are doing well, are succeeding.

If you have an inner knowledge of what's right, then you're less focussed on material gain. By the same token, you 'know' how things should be and can get very angry if the world doesn't match up to the way it 'should be'. For example, government 'should' find money for this service or that support.

Just a thought