You'll be a real good listener

There is this Rilo Kiley song I really like, and while it's about depression and most of that is outside of my experience, I like to take that part not so literally and enjoy the lyrics for how they appeal to me.

Because this part is 100% me, at least how I feel I should be most of the time:

"And you’ll be better
And you’ll be smarter
And more grown up and a better daughter or son
And a real good friend..."

For better or worse, I'm constantly conceiving of or embarking on some sort of improvement plan to be a better wife/friend/daughter/sister/relative/worker/neighbor, not to mention listener/talker/thinker/athlete/artist... and I can't really turn that instinct off.

There's always that carrot out there, that it's possible to be a real good friend, and I'm always chasing it, although I should be pulling out a stick to beat that impulse back, because I'll never feel that I've achieved it.