Justify My Love

"Do you like to idea of him (accomplishments, belongings, credentials) or are you truly interested in the person that he is?"

My good friend's question from the college years still hunts me to this day. I think about it when I first meet someone until I can honestly answer the question. Recently, I had to fess up to the former. This person had great credentials and I was impressed by their goals and determination. However, outside of the conversations where he was talking about himself there was nothing there. No doubt, I don't mind hearing or seeing a guy's confidence. I even prefer that a guy be able to sell themselves to me. However, this exchange can't be one-sided. They too must not fall in love with my credentials:
23 year old college graduate pursuing a masters degree , full-time career, own place & car,with no kids,

but truly get to know me:
the fair-minded, sincere, CP-time running, trying to be in two places at once, dancing, drinking, teacher, researcher, goal-orientated, spiritual driven, emotional, affectionate, independent, princess, young lady that is comfortable with her sexuality.

The red flags in dating will not always be extreme (kids, drug habits, etc.), but do hold tight to the person that you are and take your time to truly get to know the person you're dating beyond their Wall Street credentials.