Potential VS. Reality

I have a tendency to see the best in everyone and sometimes I have fallen in love with the potential of a man, rather than the man himself. This has often contributed to my reasons for staying in relationships beyond their expiration date. As if I'm afraid I will miss out one day on what they could have possibly been but aren't already anyway. How ridiculous am I? lol

I've always fallen in love fast and without measuring risks first.I always seem to become a victim of my own optimism when it comes to romance. I need to hire someone to screen my future prospects and if I'm even remotely close to making a huge mistake maybe they could slap me a time or two.  I need to start trusting my intuition and when I see the slightest red flag I need to be ready to RUN!

 I'm slowly trying to adjust to the idea of being alone and I'm thinking that's where inner peace plays a huge role. If you are disturbed with anything within yourself then you won't ever be content with being alone. I worry sometimes about being lonely but if that's what it takes then I'll just be lonely for a while. Maybe I'll find some clarity during this reflection period of my life. There are way too many other people out there for me to ever have to settle for anything less than what I'm looking for. I have enough self respect to make sure that I will never put myself in another situation where someone else's needs or feelings become more important than my own.