To me, regardless of what you call it, it comes down to two things: 1. finding something you enjoy/willingly put great effort into, 2. looking back on your life

To me, regardless of what you call it, it comes down to two things: 1. finding something you enjoy/willingly put great effort into, 2. looking back on your life at the end and not regretting the time spent. I can't say I know I've found mine but I have from a young age enjoyed understanding and making machinery, now extended to software. I try to improve and apply my ability at a company that doesn't suck and share anything useful I've learned. I still greatly enjoy learning and applying new knowledge in this area. Conversely every now and then, I wonder if I wouldn't have more appreciated following an artistic path, say off the top of my head like Aphex Twin (without the fame & success). Probably some of both makes sense. The most important thing is probably not to get caught up not doing anything. You rarely know it's "the thing" while you're doing it, only in retrospect might you realize it was. Caveat: enjoying (1) is optional if (2) is significant enough and you can endure. :-)