I tell myself that my job is a way to pay the bills, get to retirement quickly, and move onto my life's work when I'm in my late 40's, which has very little to do with what I'm doing now. I stay the course because my income is decent relative to our cost of living, my health insurance is 95% paid for, and they kick 10% of my salary into my 401K each year.
I realize that most of us are just cogs in the wheel. We can be replaced quickly and very few of us are destined to be "stars." This used to bother me when I was younger. I always thought I should be striving and climbing. Now I'm ambivalent. I spend my days daydreaming about the projects I want to do, the books I want to read, the marathons I want to run, and the hobbies I want to nurture. Interestingly, I very well may do more good for humanity in my post-retirement life than I ever have in my working life.
When I was younger I was always "investing" in my career... getting education, choosing the "right" CPE, putting in long hours, thinking about my next move. Now I'm ambivalent. I think a key to being happy as you transition to the world of non-work is learning how to "di-vest" yourself of your job by not wrapping so much ego into it and removing yourself from it. (I'm not saying to become a total slacker... it's just that I've realized there's a law of diminishing returns.) At the same time, it's healthy to involve yourself in new interests and challenges, preferably that have very little to do with your job (unless you really do love it that much.)
Statistically speaking, very few people even "like" their jobs. I'm not sure I know of many who "love" them.
So, that's what I tell myself about my job...