By Patricia Lowell / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

The only way to find true financial and personal fulfillment, says author and career adviser Walt F.J. Goodridge, is to work with one goal in mind - fulfilling your passion."There is a real sense of emptiness in this society, which is a direct result of people doing work they think they're supposed to do rather than work that excites and inspires them," says Mr. Goodridge, author of Turn Your Passion into Profit: Information, Inspiration & Ideas to Help you Make Money Doing What You Love."People start down their career path with practical advice from parents and guidance counselors, and they end up spending years doing work that is not fulfilling," Mr. Goodridge says. "It's not surprising that so many people end up at midlife wanting to escape the very life they've tried so hard to create."In his book, Mr. Goodridge offers help in discovering a hidden passion and turning it into a career.

Question: What is it that prevents people from pursuing their passion?
Answer: "Conditioning. People are conditioned by parents and other advisers to choose practical work over fulfilling work. I understand that situation very well because that's exactly what happened to me. My high school guidance counselor saw that I was good in math and science, so I was told to pursue an engineering degree, and that's exactly what I did."I worked as a civil engineer for seven years until I realized I was leading what they call 'a life of quiet desperation.' That's when I began my journey to my personal fulfillment and realized that there were millions of people out there just like me."

Question: Do most of these unfulfilled workers even know what their passion is?
Answer: "About half do. They know that they have a passion for music or writing or travel, and they just need help understanding how to value that passion enough to make a living at it. Those who don't know have a feeling that there should be something more - even though they don't know what 'more' is."

Question: Is there a way for a person to discover his or her true passion?
Answer: "Yes, and I've included a questionnaire and exercises in the book to help uncover those hidden wants and wishes. It's all about asking the right questions and deciphering the answers because that's where you'll find clues about all-around philosophies on life, money, personal prosperity and so on."

Question: After you know what you want to do, what's the next step?
Answer: "The next step is learning to value your individual talents and passions. So many people think that they could never make a living doing what they feel passionate about, but the truth is that the world will value what you have to offer if you truly value it yourself."

Question: What are the most popular passions people discover after completing your book?
Answer: "Writing is the passion that most people want to pursue ... which is getting easier and easier with all the writing and publishing options now available through the Internet. "Travel is another passion that keeps coming up. I know of one man who studied the program and turned his love of traveling to out-of-the-way places into a business that arranges custom tours. "The same thing can happen with anyone's true passion."

"Turn Your Passion Into Profit" is available by calling (646)219-3565 or viewing www.PassionProfit.com. Patricia Lowell is a Dallas free-lance writer.