Linda A Robinson, PhD, I just re-ran across this quote that I’d used in another story some time ago, but I think it’s apt because it was what I was trying to get at, even if I did it in a bit of a ham-handed way:

“Self-determination theory says that human beings need three basic things in order to be motivated and content: they need to feel competent at what they do, they need to feel authentic in their lives, and they need to feel connected to others. These qualities are considered “intrinsic” to human happiness and far outweigh “extrinsic” qualities such as beauty, money, and status.”