An sketch for an ideal life:
We sometimes feel discontent with our life, feeling a sense of 'something is missing', a vacuum. So, the question is what is it that is missing? Given that there was no prior expectation (an image of an ideal life) then the whole notion of missing parts seems unfounded. Thus, there ought to be some mental construct, that has been there for some time or is under development, that seeks its realization in the physical world. Here is one:

An individual with an advance degree- in a field of interest to the protagonist- that makes him of special demand to his society. The protagonist finds his vocation of great social importance, and simultaneously intellectually fulfilling. Consequently, he finds his day to day activities purposeful and passionately looks forward to another day of such rewarding engagement. He is well respected by his fellow human beings and meanwhile he has the luxury of avoiding them from time to time to indulge in his intellectual pursuits. He finds a beautiful girl who shares a great part of his convictions and is equally goal oriented and and purposeful. They respect each other's personal space and plant seeds of shared memories in their common grounds and patiently wait for the tree of their mutual love to flourish and bear fruits. Together they are whole and holy since they live an ideal life and promote an ideal society. They enjoy all that is human and they sublimate all that is all too human.

What is stopping the protagonist of our story to realize his mental image?