Delicate Balancing Act

Sometimes when I attempt to dissect the psychological and emotional vicissitudes that wreak havoc on my distinctly social sense of self, I realize that, fundamentally, I am caught between pursuing those things which society considers indicators of inherent self-worth (i.e. gpa, resume, degree, etc) and doing what I desire for myself alone.

The first is neccesary to survival in the practical sense, the second neccesary to survival in a spiritual (perhaps psychological and/or ethical) sense.

Right now I'm thinking that much of my confusion arises from missing one simple point in all this mess: building up a persona on paper is all well and good, but I would do well to remind myself, constantly, that none of that crap actually proves a thing about me.