[Ron Burgundy]

Yes, the goal is to make money. But purposely avoiding other good players is going to cut into your profits just as much as going to war with them to boost your ego.

To make the most money, you have to stay detached emotionally. That means not battling for the sake of battling, and not wussing out to decrease variance or whatever.

I'll admit I've made many mistakes on both ends of this spectrum. The question you ask yourself before every decisions should be "what is the most +EV play" not "what is the easiest play."

Until the UIGEA gets repealed, which is at least a year away, online poker will only get harder. That means more regulars, and more tough decisions that require a cold calculated decision making process.