Shameless sharing of a r/TrueAskReddit thread
I think that kleinbl00 does a good job of describing how to have a fulfilling life in this Hubski podcast on "fun." He comes in around the 3:45 mark. Basically, it's by doing the things you want to do, not the things you have to do. He's made a career out of it:
Glad you dug the podcast. Here is a link to the ones we have put to video. There are a number of others too:
I try to make this a non-issue by integrating the two instead of letting work be a thing that interrupts life. This works because I largely live on the internet and work a job in front of a PC all day. After some wrangling with the firewall I'm able to access IRC, where I talk with you guys, my boyfriend, and various others, keeping up these internet relationships that fulfill me so. I can also keep up on various personal projects during downtime, so that I don't have to feel entirely as if my own interests are stagnating while I work 100% for the company until my shift ends. I don't always enjoy my work, but it is aligned with my aspirations (to become better at networking and net security), so I don't consider it time wasted in this sense.
I think this is a large part of what needs to happen for you to feel fulfilled. If there is nothing you find redeeming/worthwhile in your work you're waisting your time. Not everyone is destined to be able to make a career out of doing what they love, but you should at least like your coworkers or use it to hone a skill or as a platform to help you persue what you love. That said, if your job isn't what you love, you have to actually persue it when you're not at work, which I think is harder than it sounds.