For me, it ebbs and flows. There are times when I feel challenged, and there are definitely times where politics, the types of problems, etc. tend to extinguish

For me, it ebbs and flows. There are times when I feel challenged, and there are definitely times where politics, the types of problems, etc. tend to extinguish the flame to get excited and work hard. I think the trick is, when you feel your "programming fire" starting to get extinguished, find a side project that inspires you (granted, if you have the time to do so). This gets me through the burn out and piques my interest when the day to day coding doesn't do it for me.