> never get it confused with your own mission or "dream".I would hesitate to use the word “never,” there.
It’s kind of amazing, when a job becomes a vocation and a calling.
These days, that kind of describes where I’m at. I don’t get paid a dime, and work harder (and more productively) than I ever have. I’m doing work I never dared to dream of.
I had to be forced into this position. Long, sad story. Get your hanky. TL;DR, no one wants to play with someone over 50, that used to be a manager.
But the last few years have convinced me that you couldn’t drag me back into the rat race with a locomotive. I’m almost deliriously happy.
I’m extremely fortunate, in having built up enough to get to this point, and also, in learning to live humbly enough to have my needs met.
I wish the OP well.
Happiness is something that has no price tag, and is often found serendipitously. For some of us, we are only truly happy, when we are working.