I often hear of how you should find your passion and pursue it to find happiness in your career and I completely agree as I’m proof that it’s possible, but there is a hazard I would like you to avoid: going broke in the name of passion 
I experienced this first-hand as I was on a mission to assist people struggling with anxiety and was so committed to the cause that I was relying on volunteer honorariums to survive for over a year because helping people was all I was concerned with.
You Can’t You Help Others If You Can’t Help Yourself
As fulfilling as it feels to assist others and make a difference, a random conversation at a coffee shop changed my direction and guided me towards a sustainable future. This man explained what happens during an airplane emergency, the oxygen masks come down and you must secure your oxygen first, then you can assist others. He related this to my situation, if I wasn’t making enough money to survive, how could I assist others? This perspective change was transformational because I had a negative association with receiving money to make a positive contribution and that was completely false!!
Perhaps you aren’t going broke, but how many people do you know that give their services away or under charge in the name of passion? There is nothing wrong with charging for your services, what is wrong is if you don’t deliver value to your clients. I have never had a client that hasn’t made a significant positive change in their life, so if I deliver value, then why should I feel bad…I shouldn’t, the money actually validates the value of the service.
With this in mind, if you are looking for a career change, find something you’re passionate about, something that gives you energy. I consider this your starting point because then you must explore what opportunities are available to find a situation where you can earn a living from doing something that accomplishes your goals. This is a journey and there is a possibility that your new career choice will not be sustainable for full-time earnings, if this is the case, perhaps you could do it part-time or as a volunteer. I suggest you work at it while still employed if possible because this will give you the opportunity to test if you really want to pursue this full-time, while earning income. There are occasions when the reality of the passion changes once it becomes a job and the frustrations with daily work come back. I’m fortunate to love what I do, there are frustrating parts, but the satisfaction received from leading an audience to improve their business and lives is extremely rewarding for me and delivers a sense of working from purpose.
My steps to earn a living from your passion:
1. Identify your passion
2. Explore possible jobs that are directly related to your passion
3. Research the jobs and ask for information interviews where you find out more details on the industry and what these positions pay.
4. Decide here, if it’s sustainable full-time, part-time or a volunteer position.
5. Find satisfaction in being involved with your passion and see where it goes. If employment in your area isn’t realistic, start blogging about it. Watch this video with Gary Vaynerchuk, was very inspiration on monetizing your passion, it’s from 2008 and still relevant, check it out: http://bit.ly/NFUk53
Best wishes on living your passion.