If you don't love what you do, why? If you stop living someone else's life and live for yourself you will never work a day in your life.

Well, I thought I did! So I let the yard go. Egad! It looks like a forest and not one kept by Texas Parks & Wildlife. I don't have a landscape, I have a wild-scape. So much for enjoying myself. I think I will start with one of my weed eaters, too much for even the John Deere!

Yes, that helps a great deal.

I was an expert in a niche market and had access to customers of my former employer as prospects. It didn't hurt when my former colleagues recommended me for jobs, too.

I am familiar with that, e.g. being a consultant and traveling.

While on a project, it worked great, especially because I enjoyed world travel and meeting people otherwise I would not have. However, marketing for a new project was very stressful and I eventually left for corporate existence.

I quit corporate employment and started a consulting business, knowing that I would have slack time between engagements. Part of the slack time was spent getting more business, but I frequently enjoyed travelling the world between jobs. Travel is one of my passions.
I often worked long hours during an engagement and still had to provide timely valuable service to my clients, but repeat engagements are often more time flexible.
I wasn't married and didn't have children to support which made it much easier, too.
I loved my Abyssinian, Nefirtiti, too.

Not any more...used to and loved it but since the crash, been working harder than I ever have.

^^ I agree completely. Plan for enjoyment. Don't lose sight of the fact that pursuit of happiness is the goal underlying all other activities.

Yes, "enjoyment" may not be the correct term because we are bound

I have found that in order to have time to do the things I enjoy I must make the time. I have to plan the breaks in my schedule and in my days.
It is not easy. You have to learn to say no to a lot of people and things. If you don't you'll find yourself spend "Just a few Minutes" multiple times in a single day and have no time left for yourself.
Enjoyment is like any other activity, you need to plan it [the time] and then stick to it.

Is there a balance between work and life?

Corporations place a great emphasis on this, on paper.

We complete surveys every year how great company policies are to allow us to live our lives.

The fact is that there is no way to switch from corporate to personal.

Humans are not robots. Work comes home with us.

I'd like to hear if people have been more successful to live a life aside from corporate responsibility.