Best feeling I ever got was when I was starting out using list comprehensions and ternaries in Python. I sometimes got the (slightly creepy) feeling I wasn't so much writing this thing myself but using a feather duster carefully to clean away the cobwebs sort of like an archaeologist. That feeling of "discovery" is what I use to guide me. If it's not there, I know there's a better implementation. Got me thinking about Socrates and how discovery could really just be recollection. So my take is a little bit opposite what you are calling for. It's not "I wrote that!" with pride but "I was used to bring that about!".