The most important thing (at least from my vantage point) is to understand yourself and believe in that person. Know who you are, what you want, what you hate, etc. but as those things may define yourself in the context of an individual evaluation, they evolve in the context of a relationship it seems. While everyone seeks a compatible partner, no one wants to spend a lifetime with a person with exactly the same interests, patterns, motives, etc. as themselves. What would one learn from the other person? That is what keeps people together – a continual sense of discovery within similar spheres of belief, ethics, practice.

After years of dating artists and creative-types, something is lost in the common ground – and oddly it can become more difficult than painless when personal interests become parallel individual goals. Imagine you started dating a hot blonde with a passion for business. Let’s say her business idea took off – or yours did – or it didn’t. How does that change the relationship when you position your interests (although alike) in competition? The closer you evaluate personal relationships based on similar criteria to professional aims, the trickier it gets.

My mom used to say, guys date blondes but they marry brunettes. 🙂 Not sure what her sample size or evaluation methods were. Know and be yourself first – always. But be prepared to be surprised.