Some girls, and guys alike, hold on to the notion that they can change people. They fall in love with potential or with a hope that they can mold someone and teach him or her the way to love and be loved in return. I know I fall in love with potential often and there's nothing wrong with that ... But some, including myself, forget to consider one very important factor ...

Now, I'm not talking about flaws or freckles or little pet peeve potentials ... I'm talking about a person's character.

If you think a person has potential but lacks morals, values and a desire to grow or better themselves, what exactly is the potential? ... If he shows you disrespect and speaks to you like you don't matter in public in front of your friends and peers, and he's grown, what's the potential? If she nags you on the daily and judges you and everyone else who walks in the room when her own backdoor isn't swept off, and she's grown, what's the potential?

We all make mistakes and we all come from different walks of life, but making the same mistake repeatedly, with no desire or sincerity to learn from our mistakes or make a change for the better, with no care to fix what went wrong, with no sensitivity or consideration for the people we've hurt along the way, with no proof in the actions to match the words that come out of our mouths, does not suffice as potential. This suffices as an issue. A major issue. One that can rarely be fixed because what this is, is a lack of morals, values, integrity and sincerity and that boils down to one thing ... quality.

When you're looking for potential, seek quality and examine their character. See if he opens the door for you when you go on a date ... Double check whether he lays the napkin across his lap ... Listen to how she speaks to the waitress then listen to how she speaks to you about herself. Is there eye contact? A smile? Trust your vibes because you can learn a lot about a human's potential through his or her character, and ultimately, that determines his or her quality.

And I only write this because for the first time in almost 25 years of life, I have found a person who has all the potential in the world with the character, actions and qualities to match. And let me tell you, all the people out there who are in miserable relationships hoping for the best, praying that something will give to make it better, guess what? There are people in the world who will treat you EXACTLY how you deserve to be treated, you've just got to be aware of your potentials. Don't ever mistake someone's words with actions. Actions don't lie and quality can't be taught. Start qualifying the potentials in your life without feeling bad about it, because in the end, there are only three types of people ... Those who left you in difficult times, those who put you in difficult times, and those who helped you in difficult times, and the only ones worth your loyalty are the ones who never made you question theirs.

Think about it.