Compliments from friends are the greatest ego boost in grilling. We're all our own worst critics, but I think the high praise of others makes us feel like Myron.
Wow! That looks amazing! I haven't done a brisket yet because I hate getting up early and don't trust it to run overnight, so no double-digit hour cooks for me. You have inspired me here, however, and I will be trying a HH brisket this weekend on my 14.5" wsm. Here's hoping it looks almost as good as yours =)