"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold." Maurice Setter

I was a doctor's daughter, raised by a perfectionist mother. Gold was the standard for everything in both the literal sense and the everyday behavior sense. In high school I "rebelled" (for want of a better word) and wore only silver as well as trying to accept my lack of perfection. Neither worked out for very long. I was always striving for the gold, never noticing the silver lining right above my head.

Too many of us go through life setting impossible goals then berating ourselves for not being able to reach them. With bipolar disorder, during a manic phase we have grandiose plans only to find when we come back down to earth that they are unreasonable, leading to a bout with depression.

For those of us with bipolar disorder, and perhaps others as well, we need to reevaluate our goals in life. We need to make sure we are setting attainable goals, building on what is already positive in our life, so we don't miss that beautiful silver lining.