article "Reasons to work"

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/11/reasons-to-work.html

How important is it to be successful? Or it is enough to just get by, doing what you like? If I just moved to Switzerland, decided to live on a farm, and spent my days keeping busy with nature does that mean I've given up or that I'm enlightened to the realities of what actually matters in the world? These questions have been really getting to me nowadays. I've always felt driven to do my very best at "what I do", and now I'm just confused that I've created this idea and this "career thing" may just be something we've made from thin air, but stress so much importance on - if that makes any sense at all. My friend implies that we are driven by societal pressure and we've all become robots and clones of our own selves. At first I ignored the point, chalking it up to negativity but now I'm beginning to wonder if he's on to something.