Reading other people's (interesting) stories is groovy! Why on earth have an L/J, after all? :-)

Yes, see, in that instance, because I'm doing something for someone else, I'd be similarly motivated. You're absolutely right that positive motivation works best, but I'd like to be able to generate it myself sometime. And yeah, I think you've put your finger on one aspect - control. Knowing that you can withdraw from something if you feel that you've gotten in too deep is always a bonus.