Vagueness

A major issue for me lately has been where to compromise, and where to stand my ground. I'm trying to plan my future, or at least make sure that I'm on the "right" path, but at what point does it become a bad idea to just let all your ideals and wishes fall by the wayside just to keep everyone involved happy? Should I be more lax to be happy in the short term, or should I fight for something that I think will be an issue in the future, and not settle for it now, even if it would mean keeping the peace present tense? It needs some kind of decision though, this is making me miserable.