"What is out there that I could do that would make me excited waking up every day for the next 45 years that could also earn me enough money to cover my expenses?"

This isn't to diminish what the author says - I'm glad he's found his independence, and I hope he finds the "intrinsic motivation" he's looking for.

For me, I think I've more or less shed the illusion that I'm always going to be excited about work. Or even that I'm normally going to be excited about work. I love my job, and sometimes it's great, but it's usually not "exciting". It's strange to me that people in our industry place such importance on our emotions about work, to the point where not being thrilled by our work is seen as some sort of career failure.