Try changing the lens. Imagine yourself looking back 10 years from now. Think about how you would feel about your choices on your deathbed. I've heard it said that few if any dying people regret not having worked harder. Truth be told, it probably wasn't the right career path anyway.
Perfect solutions are rare in our world of over-commitments and inevitable tradeoffs.
But, if you have made a good-faith effort to find a solution in accordance with your core values, trust that the outcome will be at worst benign. Margaret Newhouse is assistant director of career services for Ph.D.'s at Harvard University. Even though she cannot answer e-mail personally, Ms. Newhouse appreciates comments, stories, and suggestions. How to list job openings on this service How to search Sign up to receive notification by e-mail that we have new jobs in your field. If so, tell us about it.