Of conflicts and confusing thoughts!

"Life is all about the choices we make"
So said a very smart person. ( I don't know who, but have heard it from a smart person for sure!)
So, there, I was a girl of the 2st century, so I went decided to be "someone" before I became a "mrs.someone". I went on to finish my engineering, and get a masters, and at that point, it looked like getting a nice job in the US, and that too, Silicon valley, would be IT!
hmm.. Little did I know,growing up, that these "choice" making powers would come haunt my thoughts so much! It's always "damned if u do, and damned if u don't!"
If you buy a house, then you are opening yourself to liabilities,more stress,etc. If you don't, then you are not thinking enough about the future,wasting money on rent,especially if you live in a high rent area like we do,and are not on the road to early retirement.
If you live in a place like NYC or the silicon valley, then you are paying through every orifice for rent, taxes,living costs,etc. If you decide to move to a cheaper city, then you feel that you will miss out on all the stuff that the big-city lifestyle has to offer.
If you work for a big company, you miss out on the learning opportunity that a start-up has to offer,if you go work for a startup, then you miss out on the fact that in a big company, you have more resources and experienced people who will have the time to sit down and help you learn and grow!
If you have kids in your early 20's, then you are not career-minded enough,and you have not enjoyed your life enough to have kids and take on more responsibility. If you wait till you reach the big 3-0, then you risk all kinds of problems for yourself and the kids.
Once the thought of kids come into the picture, if you decide to stay home when the baby is small, then you are not super-woman enough, you don't have the capacity to balance everything life has to offer. If you go to work, you are hard-nosed and always put yourself before your kids.

Since I am one of those lucky Indians who come from HUGE families with aunts,uncles,cousins,and (cousins' children too) galore,and also have a variety of friends,I am exposed to people of all ages and ideologies.
Increasingly, I find that each person wished they were in someone else's shoes, while their own looks very uncomfortable!!
What is it with us???? What choices are right and what are wrong???
On the other hand, if I figured this out, then Maybe, I can write that Best Seller and retire, eh?