Ladies, if a guy tells you that he will treat you like a princess and give you everything you want ... run far, far away.

I know most people tend to think that's generally what you want from a boyfriend - a guy who "provides" for you. Yet, I want to argue for the contrary. Though it seems romantic to have a man treat you like a princess, to be a knight in shining armor - I certainly agree to a fault. You do want a guy who is courageous, but I believe there are far better traits you want to look for in a guy.

Ultimately, you don't just want a boyfriend or girlfriend, you want a best friend - someone who gets you not only on a much deeper level, but someone you can be partners in life with. In a relationship, you work best as a team. You are two independent people who have lives, ambitions, and dreams - and the great thing about that?

Neither of you has to sacrifice any of those.

The common assumption seems to be that when you come into a relationship with someone, you have to give up a lot in order for things to work. Sometimes it comes by severing friendships with certain people, going out less, and supporting your significant other instead of continuing to develop your own ambitions and work. For some of my previous relationships, I believed this to be true as well. And certainly, some girlfriends/boyfriends will definitely tell you that.

"If you REALLY love me, you won't talk to that person anymore."

"I thought you loved me, but you clearly want to spend time doing other things than with me."

Now, though there is a difference between this and straight up negligence. If you aren't willing to spend any time with your significant other, then don't bother going into a relationship with someone if you just aren't able to make that sort of commitment.

However, you should never feel pressured to give up parts of your life for the sake of someone else. You can still be in a very committed relationship as well as continue to hang out with your friends, enjoy your life apart from your sigificant other; and most importantly, you should be allowed to maintain your idividuality.

You were made unique - with all your quirks, likes, dislikes, passions, and ambitions. Those are what make you you - and you should NEVER have to sacrifice those traits in order to pursue somebody else. They should be able to accept who you are and where you are in life. Accepting your struggles and acknowledging the things you have accomplished. Of course, there should always be that drive to help your signigicant other grow deeper as a person also.

Relationships work best as a team - don't allow anyone to treat you different in a relationship.