I think it's sufficient to love doing a good job, i.e., to take pride in your work. I doubt my dentist's staff is passionate about removing tartar from teeth, b

I think it's sufficient to love doing a good job, i.e., to take pride in your work. I doubt my dentist's staff is passionate about removing tartar from teeth, but I would guess they enjoy doing the work correctly. And even if you're doing what you love, you won't necessarily love every moment. Nothing has the potential to rob something of its enjoyability quite like a bad boss or soulless company. Further, "passion" isn't really applicable to wide swaths of jobs. And many people's passions have no chance to be profitable. I think more practical advice is to do work that makes you happy.