What are you building towards?
What are your character's goals?
Is your end goal the perfect End-Game High REaper Tank?
I ask these questions because for as long as I have been playing this game has had multiple hamster wheels. Each designed to make the game last longer through Player Power Acquisition to make the game faster and easier (First Lifer-can open Normal, Second Lifer-can open Hard, Third Lifer-can open Elite/Reaper), through Gear, Tomes, Past Lives (Heroic, Epic, Iconic, Racial), etc.
So what is your "End Character Goal"?
I have played with people that easily crush Mid Skull Reaper, but are working towards maxing out Reaper.
I have played with people that want to be able to Solo run early Elite quests.
I have played with people that want to be able to short man Pug Epic Elite Raids (6 Man EE Lord of Blades is an unique Pug).
For me I want to be able to contribute in higher level quests (I wanted to be able to Trap, but I have the Gear to do that with over 120 Disable/Search with 1 Rog level). So the additional Epic Past Lives might be able to help me with that as would acquiring more Past Lives (Racials predominately).
SO what keeps you playing?