A great topic. And you cover a lot of basic parts that seem obvious. But I do have some questions about some of them... Not to suggest I have answers, but I think these are questions worth asking...
- Why 'change' for the 'better' (as your title suggests)? The problem with already having a direction in mind, a reasoning behind the change you wish to see, to impose, is that this direction already limits the possible actions you can take. It goes against your last point, to never have great expectations (I would say... never expect anything, any expectation kills the potential of any action you take)
- Why highlight a problem? Why not focus on something that goes well, something that is completely in line with your values, the world you want to live in? As Einstein stated sometimes, in my own words: The thinking that has produced the problem, cannot be expected to solve it.
- Regarding the understanding your environment... doesn't acting on something, actually doing something, make you understand your environment differently? I don't think that it's possible to fully know one's environment, because both your point of view, the environment and you yourself are changing all the time, evolving. So maybe it's better to learn about the world through doing something (failure is a great tool to learn about things in a much more profound way than any idea of success ever can)...
Anyway, enjoyed your post, provoked some thoughts in me (as you can see), which is the best kind of compliment (in my opinion).