(From Fast Company) “Those who are lit by that passion are the object of envy among their peers and the subject of intense curiosity. They are the source of good ideas. They make the extra effort. They demonstrate the commitment. They are the ones who, day by day, will rescue this drifting ship. And they will be rewarded. With money, sure, and responsibility, undoubtedly. But with something even better too: the kind of satisfaction that comes with knowing your place in the world. We are sitting on a huge potential boom in productivity — if we could just get the square pegs out of the round holes.”

More quotes: “The shortest route to the good life involves building the confidence that you can live happily within your means ( whatever the means provided by the choices that are truly acceptable to you turn out to be ).” For quite a while, I dreamed of being a financial planner, helping folks figure out how to live this particular thing out. (Turns out, while I love the idea of helping folks figure it out and get there, I’m not too enamored with the actual work itself of financial planning.)

The article is adapted from a new book by Po Bronson, called “What Should I Do With My Life?”. It’d be a wonderful Christmas present. . . (hint, hint)