Members of my family have all worked extremely hard to obtain the lifestyle they desire, though my father is perhaps the best example. For many years he traveled to the city from an area about an hour and a half (without traffic) away because that is where his greatest opportunities to earn money came from. Though he did enjoy his job, he worked himself to the bone and it showed- his commute, round-trip, could take over four hours with the traffic that New York City is notorious for.
I was lucky during my childhood; due to my parent's work ethic I grew up in above-average sized homes, with a pool in the backyard and a boat to spend summer weekends on. I grew up rarely worrying about the cost of things because I knew that something was really important to me my parents would be willing to pay.
Although I lived a great childhood, I am now able to see the effects this unhealthy work-personal life balance on my father. I respect his work ethic and his never-ending need to succeed; however, it's made me realize that if I have to work that hard and during those long hours to achieve the same lifestyle my parents provided me with I don't believe I would be happy. Years have gone by, and finally my father ended up realizing that the long commute and long hours were not worth it- he now works much closer to home, even with a somewhat lower salary and he's okay with that.