Here’s a big secret: If we have not yet developed a deep relationship with Hashem and pure love isn’t yet our most powerful motivator, any “noble” drive to eliminate the motivation that works for us is just the yetzer hara in disguise, trying to weaken our motivation in order to defeat us. We must disregard any such feelings. But what we can do is begin developing a relationship with Hashem (see Chapters 5, 7, and 45). As that relationship grows stronger, we will automatically need less of other motivations.
If we want to succeed, we must first increase our desire to accomplish rather than actively trying to remove it. As our love for Hashem grows, it will at some point outpace our desire for personal accomplishment. Then, our other drives will automatically pale in comparison and we will serve Hashem purely out of love.
But in the meantime, we must cultivate our desire to become great through winning, because it is the key to success. We know that our efforts stem from our desire to do good — we are not mercenaries who care only about the payoff — and we have nothing to be ashamed of. Our desire to win will help us achieve our greatest acts of serving Hashem as we score major victories in the battle of the generation.
Quick Recap: