Love of what you do is what creates excellence.

What about hard work, self-discipline and dedication? Of course these matter--but none of these are present without love of what you do. You can't excel or "rise to the top" if you don't love what you do. What you do will not matter to others if it doesn't matter to yourself, most of all. Love of what you do implies love of life. If you love life, then the stage is set to find work about which you're passionate. And, when you feel the reward of that work, you love life even more. Those who advance the "Puritan work ethic" don't quite have it right. Self-discipline doesn't lie in doing work for the sake of work. Self-discipline is the consequence of finding something worth disciplining yourself for.