Zero sum game

Have you noticed that as we grow up and go along life...how our measure of happiness changes? As kids we are used to ready recognition, winning awards in competition, constant encouragement by elders and pat on the back whatever we do.....As teenagers, where peer group assumes importance, there is more a growing need to feel 'accepted'...As independent adults...the bar gets higher, the appreciation thinner. The need to excel at your job and have a promotion to show for it....the need to be a good parent and have your kids' grades show it....its endless the pressures we bring upon ourselves.
From my perspective, at such times, one needs to figure out what is most important to him/her.
Few months back...I saw colleagues lose jobs....some of whom had put their personal lives on hold so long....worked either like the company depended on them or worse still that without their company, they would be no ground beneath their feet...they practically had no time for families....Even if they had continued to retain their jobs....what's it worth?
Looking from the sidelines, I get the feeling that each of us needs to figure out where our balance lies...when to let go and how much and when to hold back strong..........Cause after we have fretted, questioned and played to our heart's content..life might still be just a zero sum game.