The baseball team I follow, the Tampa Bay Rays, is involved in a race to make the playoffs in Major League Baseball.

Every night they are in a “must win” situation. They have several teams trying to overtake them. The competition raises the urgency. I can’t wait to see the results.

It’s so much more engaging when things have meaning.

Most of the people in America report that they aren’t interested in their work because they don’t know what’s at stake with what they do.

If you looked at those 10 Commitments yesterday, you see we have a lot at stake.

“Working safely” and seeing that your teammates work safely is a high-stakes game. After 30 years of working around lumber yards and pallets, I have seen too many lives altered because we didn’t act as safe as we knew how to.

“Providing quality products” is a high-stakes game. Our customers depend on our product to meet their standards. A high-quality product means our customer’s product is shipped safely or projects constructed from our wood will last.

Achieving and maintaining high production is also a high-stakes game. We try to set the industry standard in production throughput. We have to be at the top or near the top to get there.

You get the point here: For work to have meaning it’s important for you to figure out what is at stake and pursue your work to fulfill it.

Work is more rewarding when you’re striving for something. What gets you up for work?