Goals are extremely beneficial but goals become demotivating and distracting when we have so many goals that we can't remain passionate and motivated to achieve them.  Focusing on a few goals is more productive than wanting to accomplish everything under the sun. "People are remarkably bad at remembering long lists of goals. I learned this at a professional level when trying to get my high-performance coaching clients to stay on track; the longer their lists of goals, the more overwhelmed and off-track they got. Clarity comes with simplicity."  Brendon Burchard

Do we want the best for ourselves AND others?  Unfortunately, the answer to the first half of the question is a little easier to answer most of the time compared to the second half.  When we advance to the point of answering both parts with an affirmative answer, we will truly become our best self.  "Positive expectations are the mark of a superior personality."  Brian Tracy

Most people prefer to avoid conflict.  "Conflict Avoidance" is the preferred method by most people when confronted with conflict.  I have learned to be "Conflict Seeking" or better described as "Conflict Receptive".  This doesn't mean that I want to cause conflict.  It simply means that I appreciate conflict and it's role in our lives.  Conflict exists and if we don't address it, the conflict rarely resolves itself and it often causes things like pain, bitterness, resentment and a host of other negative responses.  I have found that when I confront conflict with an attitude of growth and resolution, and not a mindset of defensiveness and superiority, most situations are resolved fairly easily and result in an overall better situation for all involved.  ​"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is ."  Lucille Ball

Life is not represented by a line graph with the line moving consistently upward and to the right.  A more realistic graph of our life will look more like the Dow Jones chart or even an EKG.  Peaks and Valleys.  Ups and Downs.  If life were simply up and to the right then it would be a constant uphill battle with no summit in sight.  Valleys allow us to climb and reach a peak and enjoy the view until the next opportunity to to climb and enjoy the next and often better view.  ​"You have to fight through the bad days to earn the best days."  

Worry is a by-product of thinking too much and acting too little. When we find ourselves worrying, we can do many things to remove the worry.  Taking action, including praying, is the most effective means of minimizing worry in our lives.  "Your mind is for having ideas, not for holding them. There is usually an inverse proportion between how much something is on your mind and how much it's getting done."  David Allen 

High expectations can be either motivating or discouraging, depending on your mental wiring.  Expectations are based on what we believe or predict will happen.  Unfortunately, life is anything but predictable so expectations often bring pain and suffering.  Acceptance is something completely different.  When we accept something, we deem it to be adequate or allowable.  When we choose to have high standards, and not high expectations, we are better positioned to motivate ourselves and also we have much more control of the outcome.  ​"It's a very funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it."  William Somerset Maugham

Anger and apathy, two reactions that are on opposite ends of the spectrum but both elicit the same result and that result is seldom positive or successful.  Take a big deep breath and then decide to do something but make sure that something is the right thing.  "Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you and often does."  David Allen