Subject-verb agreement with plural nouns

I am confused about numbers. Which one is correct?

Goals is what makes me feel alive.

or

Goals are what makes me feel alive.

And another example I am confused about:

Another factor is his enemies...

or

Another factor are his enemies...

Answer

In the first statement, the subject is clearly plural. This demands a plural verb: are.

The second statement is a bit confusing, because the subject is not very clear, partly because the sentence is not complete, so it is difficult to see the entire picture, but also because there is an understood "that" missing.

It is tempting to take enemies as the subject, but that is incorrect. The subject is "factor".

Another factor is [that] his enemies were gathering around him.

This is much clearer than:

Another factor are his enemies were gathering around him.