The developmental stage varies throughout the life of any individual. Take the case of a teenager; his ideals are very different from the ideals of those who are in their twenties, much even more than those who have reached almost the first half of their existence.

Perspectives and the interplay of reality and wisdom change the way people think, reason out, decide upon, and the idea of meaning and self worth become more pronounced. This main stream questioning of the meaning of life and purpose in career in the immediate society is what we may refer to as midlife crisis.

Younger people have ideals that become part of their focus and aspirations in life as they mature. This vision is what fuels them to strive hard to mold themselves into what they want to be. Especially those who have been blessed with more than normal skills in a certain field, such as say a certain sport or musical instrument; those individuals would most likely become a master in their own field once they reach a mature age for social construct.

However, there is a hole in this pattern in the general high school and college population. Ask any student in random what they are doing in the academe and they would probably tell you that it is what their parents told them to do. Some may even say that it is simply to land them a job after graduation and be able to work for a living.

What we see here is an unconscious dictated trend of having to learn and work hard in school to be able to abide and comply, and perhaps peacefully coexist with the social machinery and remain part of the social construct of socioeconomics. The companies which have been established by radical minds and turned into a blooming industry spread its influence and effect with the next generations to work towards them.

After getting the diploma and a degree, people who work are transformed into competitive individuals adhering to a limited pace set by the companies they work in. Workers and employees are now faced with trying to accumulate riches and properties for their successors. To increase their capability and worth, they work hard to earn that promotion, increase their salary, and acquire more things.

This destroys the actual long term goals once set by the individual as the work itself has limited the vision of the individual to just work to get an immediate higher means of living. This is even much more reinforcing to those who didn't even have a long term goal to start with.

If by any chance that you have realized that you have the same predicament as with those described, it is most probably high time to find the purpose of living in this aspect. You got to have a driving purpose why you are striving hard, and eventually determine what are you actually working for too, in addition to who are you living for. The Internet is a vast array of information which may help you in your life's journey. With a few word searches and time, you may be well on your way.