keep reminding yourself of that every day! don't ever take it for granted. i'd venture to guess that maybe 2% of people make a living at what they truly love. we are very fortunate to be in that position, but sometimes we can loose sight of this when we get buried in the day-to-day. don't let that happen!
for me, it's the gigs that really give me the payoff. sometimes the daily practice can get tedious, but when i'm on the gig i try to make sure to take a deep breath, look around the room, make eye contact with my band, and remember that i'm doing the thing i love the most and getting paid for it.
but even in the practice room i still try to remind myself that i could be pumping gas or selling insurance or...god forbid...waiting on someone in a restaurant. as bad as it can seem in the practice room, it still beats a real job!
it doesn't get much better than that.