Acharya Prashant addresses the dilemma of choosing between a career based on passion and one that offers status and money. He suggests aiming for both, stating, "How about becoming a painter and achieving a good position?" He emphasizes that if a choice must be made, pursuing one's passion, like becoming a painter, should come first, as it is a significant accomplishment in itself. Gaining status and money later is merely an added bonus, "the icing on the cake." The speaker then tackles the issue of feeling jealous of peers who earn more money. He questions this by asking if one would be jealous of a scammer with far more wealth. The answer is no, because the money is earned through "wrong means." Acharya Prashant argues that the paths chosen by friends solely for money are also wrong if they involve selling one's life and doing useless work, equating it to fraud. He explains that jealousy arises from not seeing the difference between expressing one's inner self and merely following the crowd for money and status. He asserts, "You are unable to become a painter because you can't see that if you like painting, then all other jobs are useless." Acharya Prashant further explains that while money provides pleasure, one must consider the "input-output" equation. He warns against enduring immense pain (input) to earn money that provides only a little pleasure (output), calling it a bad deal. The pleasure from money is manifest, like an air conditioner, but the internal pain and loss incurred to earn it are hidden. This deception leads people astray. He advises keeping the equation positive, ensuring the pleasure from the work outweighs the pain endured. He cautions against being swayed by friends who may themselves be lost. Finally, Acharya Prashant points out that people are easily influenced by their peers while ignoring the wisdom of sages and thinkers who have understood life. He advises listening to both sides—those advocating for money and those speaking of deeper values. If one is easily swayed by both, it indicates a lack of personal vision. The ultimate solution is to develop one's own understanding through attention (dhyan). One must carefully consider where they invest their life and effort, as these are not small decisions. The goal should be to choose a path that frees one from pain, not one that leads to more of it.