It is amazing to me how so many people just accept that they will not be able to do what they really love until they retire. I ask them whether they had considered doing what they love now and then they would never have to retire at all. This of course brings up more emotional pain since many people just accept that retirement is the only time they will ever get to do what they want. I think this is a sad state for our current society.

It's a simple equation. Do what you love and you'll never have to work another day in your life. But so many people feel trapped. Sadly, they are trapped by their own limited thinking. Following your passion is quite possible once you have identified it and decided what your life would be like if you followed it.

I should also add that following your passion will have an impact on those around you, especially on your loved ones. Therefore it is equally important to determine how your path will impact them. Open and honest communication can soften the surprise for others when you announce your plans to follow your chosen path.

I have a question for you. If you had one entire day to yourself, with no constraints or limitations, how would you spend this day? Go ahead and write down in exquisite detail how this day would go. Use all of your senses. What do you see, hear, feel, taste and smell as you live out this day? So many of us ignore some of our senses and as a result miss out on important signals from our internal self. Now examine what you have written. Any ideas yet on what might be your passions? Most of us typically will invest time in our areas of interest when we have time to ourselves. By the way, if you come up with an interesting day but none of the activities jump out of you as passions, that's OK.

A lot of interesting areas start out as nice things to spend time on but initially don't carry strong emotional feelings. Vocational passion takes practice. Sadly, people practice daily doing more of what they don't want and then wonder why in retirement there's no energy left. Think about it. A love of painting at age 30, left stagnant until retirement at, say, 65, might be difficult to restart.

I am a marathon runner. Let me tell you, virtually no one shows up at the start of a marathon without proper training and completes the entire 26.2 miles. Successfully completing a marathon requires building a strong foundation of daily training combined with very long runs. Following one's passion requires the same kind of discipline and foundation, and most of all, daily practice.

Start to carve out some time each day to spend time on what you love. It can take as little as a few minutes a day. The key is doing something each day, which exercises your vocational muscle and most importantly keeps you thinking about what you prize most.

You can start now to follow your vocational passion with daily discipline, practice and a focus on doing more what you love!

Craig Nathanson is a professional vocational coach who counsels individuals to discover and live their vocational passion. The preceeding was an excerpt from his book P is For Perfect; Your Perfect Vocational Day.