The eternal conflict!

A question that has been haunting me for quite some time now is: “Should one be content with what he has right now?” simple as it may seem, this question has been at the back of my mind for a very long time and I have not been able to find a satisfactory answer for myself.

If an individual decides he is happy with his existing condition, wouldn’t it be that he or she is being complacent and lazy? Why isn’t he or she trying out better prospects in terms of a good job with a better salary than the current one, so that he can afford all those luxuries that ‘were not meant for him’? Isn’t it that he is under utilizing his potential when he has the capacity to do much more than what he is doing currently? But then, how far should one go in terms of want for material things? Supporters of this way of thinking argue that mental peace is also equally important in life, and one needs a boundary somewhere between work and life; work-life balance in other words.

On the other hand; say someone thinks he is not happy with the existing situation, and needs to do more in order to utilize his full potential and bring home more money. Nothing wrong in that! Going by Kiyosaki’s philosophy, one should not say that “I cannot afford that”; instead, one should find ways as to “how he or she can afford that”! But then, how far must one stretch himself? This would cause him to think constantly about his goals, strategies to achieve those and his performance in the daily game of life. How ambitious must one be while setting goals for himself? Would he be able to handle the stress and dejection he would suffer if his goals are not realized? I personally feel that there is a very thin line between being ambitious in terms of money and being greedy. There is every possibility that this ambition might turn itself over to greed, and there is no saying as to where this vice can take you!

All said and done, unfortunately (or fortunately?), our society today judges the individual in terms of the money he earns, the title or the designation he holds in his company and his material possessions like his house or clothes or jewelry! What should the common man like me and you go after: mental peace or the metal piece? The question continues to haunt me…