@Jen in the olden days, “serious spiritual” advancement meant renunciation and living simple, often isolated lives. I think that really helps.
That said, we now have things like Fields that will help us make progress even amidst busy lives, jobs, social obligations, etc. However, is this enough and can one really attain a high level of spiritual attainment while doing all this monkey balancing? I don’t really know haha but for my own sake, I sure hope so
An ancient Sanskrit hymn says “naḻinī daḻagata jalamiva” - be like the drop of water on a lotus leaf - which is technically present, is not absorbed by the leaf and has no real attachment to the leaf. If one can accomplish a state of non-attachment/non-craving/non-grasping even when living a “social life”, that is half the battle won; but this is easier said than done! The more thoughts, the more energetic interactions, the more responsibilities and involvement, the more we get enmeshed in the matrix. It is absolutely possible to do all of this and yet reduce/avoid further getting drowned in the matrix, but it is not easy.
I believe in one thing though - sincere effort accumulates, even across lifetimes; so whatever effort we put in towards raising our consciousness, is not lost. It may take a while, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.