My college friend Susan went through a stretch where she couldn't stand her job, and she had this saying, "That's why they have to pay you. If it was fun, you'd do it for free." I'd nod and egg her on. We've certainly all had our bad days. Some of us have had bad months and even bad years.

After immersing myself in the research for my new book, "The Difference," however, I think both Susan and I were wrong. We are paid for our jobs because what we do is of value. However, that doesn't mean our work can't be fun, stimulating, energizing or satisfying.

I believe that people who are passionate about what they do reach financial comfort and wealth more often than those who are not. This presents us with two options: Finding your passion and pursuing it or becoming passionate about what you're already pursuing.

In a troubling economy like this one, the latter option may be wiser, but let's take a look at the first option.

How To Do What You Love

The first step is to identify those passions that may be on your list and those that most definitely are not. Asking yourself these following questions can help you figure that out.

1) If money were not an issue, what would you be doing with your life?

2) When you go to the magazine racks or the library, what do you most like to read about? (Alternately, what do you find yourself searching for on the Internet?)

3) Think about the last few times you said to yourself, "I'd like to try that sometime." What was "that"?

4) What do other people say you do particularly well? Continued...