Accepting Who You Are

Maybe I'm asking a question that can never be answered, but how come relationships hold people back so much?

That question might seem a little open ended, so let me tell a brief story and explain a bit.

My best friend is an awesome guy. He is crazy, outgoing, nice, and when he's been single, he's a total party animal and always knows how to have a good time. When he finally got into a serious relationship, he stopped coming out with the boys. He stopped asking to hangout. He stopped going to parties. I totally understand that couples like to spend lots of time together, but shouldn't a perfect couple like to do the same things with each other as they did before they met? I feel like too many people change who they are just so that they can seem "perfect" for that other person.

Now with that in mind, I do believe the majority of people are very "fake" when you first meet them. Let's be honest here, when you first meet someone you are interested in or like, don't you try to impress them? You want them to like you back, so you act slightly different then you do on a normal basis. Me for example, I've noticed that my voice is a lot deeper when I first meet and start talking to someone. After awhile of interecting with them for a few weeks or months, I tend to become more comfortable with being goofy around them, so my voice changes slightly.

No matter how much you deny it, everyone does this. We all lie some how to another person just so that we look a little cooler. A little more attractive. A little better in that other person's eyes.

But what happens when the "let's impress them" attitude wares off? That's when the relationship comes to an end. In most cases, this happens early on, and so it doesn't seem like a big deal to break ways with someone when you know you aren't right for each other. Then there are those cases where people spend months or years with each other, and slowly pile up all the reasons why their relationship is not going to work. Those cases suck. You spent so much time with that person, so now you question if it was a waste or not. How come sometimes it takes us so long to figure out we aren't right for each other? Is it that some people really do a very good job at hiding who whey truely are, or are we so caught up in lust that we are just blinded by the obvious signs?