Often, it comes from simply finding right opportunity at right time. In today’s changing market it’s not always about what you like to do. You also have to determine if there is a market for what you want to do. I recently read an article about two founders of Black River Produce in Proctorsville, Vermont. When Mark Curran and Stephen Birge first started their business back in 70’s, they knew absolutely nothing about their product. Instead, they were looking for right business opportunity and found a great one in establishing a wholesale produce company that supplied local restaurants with fresh vegetables. Passion, in their case, came from finally working for themselves.

The message I deliver most to mid-life professionals is that a key ingredient of happiness is finding vocational passion. It’s finding perfect alignment of interests and abilities that make going to work seem like it isn’t work at all.

People who find magic balance tend to be healthier and more energetic. In turn, they find more satisfaction in other areas of their lives.

Too many people go through life without having their interests and abilities aligned. The inevitable result is a feeling of deep ennui as people drag themselves out of bed every day to endure grind required to support lifestyles of their families. You may do this well, even exceptionally. But work itself is rarely what propels people. Instead, it’s a sense of obligation or a feeling of being trapped.

But there is another way. You can develop a plan to escape grind, then find work that means something and build a comfortable lifestyle around it. Too many people allow their lifestyles (or lifestyles they are conditioned to expect) to dictate kind of work they do. And that is where so many people get into trouble, both spiritually and financially.

I discovered all of this hard way. Now, my mission is to take what I’ve learned and help others as they transition into their life’s vocational passion. This requires courage, risk, and a willingness to make significant personal changes. But with determination and planning, anyone can do it. You will later ask yourself why you waited so long. Waking up to rest of your life

I had a good job, a million-dollar house, and a great family. I also had staggering personal debt from leading a materialistic lifestyle. To top it off, I found no satisfaction in my work. My way out came suddenly. Three years ago, I had an epiphany as I stood before my coworkers, giving yet another Power Point presentation. I suddenly shut down. I realized that I couldn’t do it anymore.

I woke up next morning and felt, more or less, back to my old self. Perhaps they were right, I thought. Maybe I just had a touch of flu. So I drove to work. But I never left parking lot.

I didn’t take final plunge right away. I felt too tied to life I was living. So I struggled through other jobs over next few years. But results and feelings were same.

Finally, I had enough. This was despite responsibility of being sole provider for my wife and three children, having a mortgage, caring for a seriously ill child, dealing with growing medical bills, and shouldering $200,000 in credit card debt.

In 2002, in middle of a tough economy, I walked away from a six-figure job as a vice president and managing director of a billion-dollar multinational firm. This time, there was no turning back.

I had no intention of walking away from my responsibilities. But I had to find a way to earn an income in a more meaningful way.