If we are internally hearty, we may overcome the negative around us and seek to improve our lives. An example is children, who steeped in poverty, somehow get the message that education and eternal optimism can move them out of destitution and bring success. They seek to make their existence meaningful. For these children, the everyday struggle to rise to the top, brings them peace of mind that life will be different.
For others influenced to believe that wealth or the look of wealth is the measurement of success, there may be many unwanted compromises. These may be the conflicted moms, who want to stay home to parent their children, yet, they want to live in the four bedroom house with all the amenities, requiring them to work full-tme. These may also be the conflicted dads, who want to play with their children after work, but grueling, relentless 12 hour workdays make that impossible simply due to exhaustion.
The other conflict comes on the heels of achieving higher education. An example is the young woman who paid thousands of dollars and is still thousands of dollars in debt after paying for undergraduate and graduate school. She wonders if she will ever be able to buy the 4 bedroom house or go on a "nice" vacation?
The final conflict occurs, when after working 30-40 years, you are simply tired...of the commute, the stress, the people, the hours. It's when you determine what is the value of peace of mind...and body. They call it retirement.
The lesson here is that you should proactively reevaluate as you go through the stages of life what would bring you peace of mind and what you will need to do to maintain it.
