I pretty strongly agree with your basic premise, and I demonstrate that principle daily because I do the work I do, rebuilding houses that are getting old, replacing roofs, floors, windows, and the like, because I enjoy it. It's like solving puzzles in 3D and leaving a beautiful home behind you that the owners will enjoy for decades after I'm done. I don't do a 'job' for pay. I help people with their homes because I enjoy doing it and am always gratified when I walk away with a beautiful, functional home lived in by a new friend very happy I helped them out. This dramatically changes whom I work for, why I work every day, and how I do what I do.
Because I'm not chasing ROI, I don't take shortcuts. I get to the root of the problem and solve the source issue, not cover over the symptoms with a quick fix. I keep getting more work than I can actually get done because of word of mouth. Everybody has friends that need help, and when you find a cure for common problems you let your friends know about it because you want them to enjoy their home, which is why they worked so hard and paid so much to get it.
I don't have to put up with bosses that yell at me, sleazy suppliers that shave a couple pennies off the price but try to get it back through shipping costs, or handling fees, or some other trick. It makes the work I enjoy doing enjoyable and I am creating a bubble of contentment, satisfaction, and happiness wherever I go and work. That all makes getting up in the morning easy, looking forward to having fun solving puzzles and leaving beauty behind me. That makes all the difference to me. I can hardly understand why people put up with work they hate doing, bosses they hate doing it for, and always wanting more money to make up for their suffering than can be had for it.
It's a way of life for me, and I dread being too old to climb a ladder or pack 90 lb. bundles of shingles up one to get them to the roof, because I'll have to find another way to create such good results. I think I know how, and put it in motion just this morning, so we'll see how that works out. But the fundamental structure of my life is not having to overcome negatives all day. Rather it's creating positives, happiness, satisfaction, and contentment all day every day. That makes all the difference in the world, to me, and to the world I live in.
Thanks!