Working on Salvation

Considering my own attempts to earn approval from others, I furthered my consideration onto other's attempts at approval attempts. 
We work on approval from family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, bosses, and sometimes random people---unless the reader belongs to that group which claims to never care what anyone thinks of the self in question. 
The movement in western culture would shows me the fact that this is indeed a large concern to the populous. We tell ourselves continually that whatever we like and or want is wonderful....so long as (supposedly) it does not affect and or effect anyone. A "wholehearted" attempt possibly at escaping judgement. From others. And from God. Whether we want to admit it or not. 
While the opinions of others do not necessarily matter...the opinion of God does. Opinion is not the same as salvation, but if one is squashing the burn of a hurt Holy Spirit, I would say we are walking a bad path. Mine? Patience in handling being so ill at times, foregoing many of the lifestyles as other late 20s women: careers, homes, children, education. The anger at the last half is indeed deep at times, although I am not mad at God....I just know my behavior in handling it is at times poor. 
can we earn salvation ourselves? Jonathan Edwards says that we should no more expect works to save us from shell anymore than we should expect a spider's web to stop a falling rock. Let me be succinct---we are the rock. 
With the faith and acceptance that Christ did indeed come to earth, die a horrendous death while carrying the sins of those who accept Him on His shoulders and while being fully shunned by God....we would change the spider's web into two by four boards. The faith, as A. W. Tozer points out, is not a one time event, but a continual event. As faith grows in knowing and understanding God, we more fully understand how to please God. Note the word please. Not salvation. Please. Salvation is a free gift---if we are willing to give up our god-ness and accept God as the God and our pitiful attempts at salvation as faulty. Our gifts to God, to please Him, are our works and attempts at the things He has listed in His Word.