Can we separate our aspirations from our ego?

To live in denial about the presence of your ego or in ignorance of its existence, both attitudes are self defeating in achieving your aspirations.Many of our dreams and desires are influenced by the times and the society we live in.The desire may vary in scale from the longing for the limited edition of a designer watch,first time ownership of a car to contesting elections for the highest political office in the country-- but they all are arise from our ego which gets its nourishment and identity from the social and economic systems we inhabit.If we are honest with ourselves then to delink our dreams and desires from our ego is a mammoth,uphill task.And if we are successful in doing so then we can classify ourselves as monks.On the other hand to live hedonistically as a slave to our ego's demands would be to devalue our soul and the higher purpose ones life.We need to strike a balance somewhere in between recognising the presence and the influence of the ego, and giving in to its demands with an alert discerning mind.This is one of the spiritual tests, of decontaminating our soul from materialism, we have to take as humans and pass it with flying grades.