How to resolve the conflict between choosing opportunities in work vs choosing peace?

Opportunities arise naturally in life for various worldly things, such as work, how should one interact with these opportunities when they seem to solidify ego and draw the mind further away from equanimity and peace?

This is perhaps a very common dilemma faced by people on the “spiritual path”. All spiritual paths tend to create a duality – a duality between the daily life and the spiritual life. If one is not asking this question from the perspective of a spiritual path then this question can be looked at psychologically. Since the above question does not show any hint of spirituality, I am considering this question as coming from a purely psychological standpoint, and shall treat it so. Were it from a spiritual path standpoint, I would be giving a more extended answer. So I thought it pertinent to state the standpoint from which I am responding to this question.