out of life, especially if you consider having these different aspects of life over time.  But, that being said, you must make choices.  You must lean in a direction.  And in so doing, you can't have it all. If we expect to "have it all" in life, we will live in a perpetual state of frustration and disappointment.  Some will handle this by striving harder and harder, endlessly pursuing perfection in a way that undermines their feelings of satisfaction in what they do have.  Others will be locked in a state of paralysis in which they can't choose a path at all, because choosing to have something means choosing to not have something else.  In either case, what you do have is never felt to be enough. Luckily, there is freedom to be found if we can accept life on life's terms.  At any given time in our lives, we each must choose a path.  If we accept the reality that life is a series of trade-offs, then we can commit ourselves to a particular path without too much grief , resentment, or disappointment.  We can appreciate the satisfactions of the path we have chosen, knowing that we do not have to have everything in order to have something good.  And if we choose a path and call it good, we open up even more possibilities for growth and satisfaction. This attitude brings a strange kind of relief.  By accepting limitations, we can make do with what we have.  I'm