Anyone who pursues writing as a serious professional "thing" can tell you from firsthand experience that the process will very often test what you believe about yourself and what you want to stand for. The pace of constantly looking for work, wading through rejections, and struggling onward to finish what you starts feels desperately slow. There will be days when you question the rightness of what you are doing. Any number of things you might hear from others, see on television, or read in print can feel like they drain your energy--because--they do; when you question your decision to write.
It's been said that some things happen as fast as they do because we take the path of least resistance. Some very impressive poetry has been written about the road less travelled. So says "them," we are better off when we test ourselves against harder things, because they are so very damned difficult. There is truth to it--however--I think some of those philosophers leave out one very vital ingredient. You've really got to know what you want and what you are willing to suffer to achieve that goal. Somebody somewhere said you've got to suffer for your art, what they really mean is that you should know what you are willing to do just to make that thing happened.
What really matters to you? Answer that one question and you're on your way to figuring out what needs to be done for any chance at achieving that goal. If you really like a story you are writing, you may be willing to suffer through many re-writes. If you like your day job, you might be willing to put up a certain amount of stupid just for the opportunity to do that kind of work. Knowing what you want is like knowing a secret that's very hard to explain, even when you really want to spill your guts to the world. Please understand, there is real a difference between being selfish and knowing what you stand for. When a job or a project really matters to you, you'll endure a lot to make it happen.