A wise man told me that the only things in life that really matter are:

Your integrity as a person, and how much knowledge you gain about the world around you.  The wise man then asked me, "How do you want to spend the short amount of time you have, in this game we call life?"  It got me to start thinking about life in several different ways.

First, the fact that life is a cycle, we are born and we die, and in between is a land of freedom & choices, only each individual himself can embrace and fulfill. 

Life also has many different levels, like the floors on a high rise or the levels of a diagram pyramid.  Everyone's "blocks" have a different levels of strength, depending on that individuals integrity, knowledge, childhood and overall striving to be a good citizen. These invisible blocks make up who you are as a person. And even though one cannot see his/her own blocks, their actions will always speak louder than their words, reveling their true-self to the world.

Unfortunately, life is not easy, and in the ups and downs and all around struggle of it all, its unfairness and competitiveness, people just want to be happy.  Us humans realize that time is precious, and although we strive to gain as much knowledge as possible, we really only have time to become a professional in one field.  This field, whatever it may be, should be done with great diligence and attention. With what one puts in, he/she should get out great pleasure and satisfaction, knowing they are contributing to life and society in a way that is passionate.