How many times did we watch those Disney fairy tale stories growing up? I would throw a dart in the dark and say multiple times. Or is it a shot in the dark? Well, you get what I mean. To say a few times would be an understatement.

I used to love watching Cinderella fit into the glass slipper, have Snow White and Sleeping Beauty get woken up with just a kiss of true love and watch Ariel and Eric have their dream wedding. I would re-watch them time and again because they were so enchanting. I do realize using the word "enchanting" in regarding fairy tales is all too much of a cliche but how else would you put it?

Now, fast forward 10 years into that little girl's 10-year-old life. What do you get? Reality.

It would be naive of me to say that all my romantic expectations were based on Disney films, but lets be completely honest, some of them have. How many times did we garner most of our expectations in the people we love or have a crush on and they don't live up to them? Or how many times have we, as women especially, fantasized of the perfect relationship where we make all the right moves? Several times. Our senses are filled with imagery of roses and walks on the beach.

The films have changed, such as contemporary romance films or tumblr "relationship goals" posts, but the idea remains the same. Yet, we never ask ourselves, what happened after the happily ever after?

I feel as Millennials, we have been set up for failure on the idea of "true love" and finding a real partnership. I think of what men look for in a relationship and what women look for in a relationship, and they simply don't add up. Or we have the tendency to imagine what that person should like instead of how they really are. There are several ways we idealize relationships and create expectations that don't rise to the occasion. There are just too many things against us.

Getting our heads wrapped around the idea that love is not necessarily this flash of lighting that strikes the moment we meet someone but rather a gradual meeting of the minds is hard for most. Often, it feels like we are cheated if we don't feel this way.

I won't deny that love stories have a way of appealing to our nature of longing but the reality is so much different. Hard work comes into making things the way you want them. It is about respect and being there for each other when it really counts. A partnership. No relationship is perfect but they can one that is built on all the things that matter to you.

I think that a lot of Millennials are opting to be a little less restrictive in their commitments, and that seems like the most logical thing. The less pressure there is the better. The more we understand that being with someone is not like a Nicholas Sparks film, where it will "all come together," the better we will be at figuring out what we value most. It is not about the roses and the chocolates on Valentine's Day but whether or not you wish to wake up to the same person every day.

And remember, there is no such thing as being happy because you are with someone. That only when you find "the one," will you be happy. Happiness comes from within, and those small moments of "happiness" derive from the most unexpected moments.

I don't think that this applies to everyone, but in a culture where everything is "relationship goals" and the romanticizing of relationships is constant, I think it is important to recognize these attitudes. There is more to "relationship goals" than just a hashtag or a cute picture on Instagram. Also, keep in mind that there is a distinction between what women see in a relationship than what men expect.

I do not wish to bash the idea of love but rather show a different perspective and maybe shed insight for others to truly see within themselves what it is they want. Gather some form of self awareness and ask yourself whether or not you are dating someone for the right reasons.