The goal should be to play correctly. That's the part you control and you can only worry about what you control. You can't blame the cards or the dealer or even the other player. You saw the cards, you know what he could have, and you made your decision. So, the goal is to play as perfectly as possible. Look at the odds. Look at the bets. Think about the play, the position, the probability. The try to make the most perfect decision possible.

However, the monetary steps are objectives by which you can measure the success of working to meet your goals. That's the key. If you set steps to get to X level, then you start sequentially planning your progress. And if you have a setback, then you have a trigger to help you make that decision as well.