My mom always told me that finding the right man wouldn’t be easy for me. Maybe it was because I was too independent, too opinionated, or just too picky for my own good. She’d say that men don’t always like women who challenge them, who know what they want, who refuse to settle for anything less than what they deserve. At times, her words lingered in my mind, making me wonder if she was right. Was I making things harder for myself by refusing to conform? Was love really supposed to be a compromise of who I am?

But deep down, I’d like to believe that the right person will see those very things—my independence, my standards, my unwillingness to accept anything less than a genuine connection—not as flaws, but as strengths. I don’t want a love that requires me to shrink myself to fit into someone else’s expectations. I want a love that encourages me to grow, to thrive, to be unapologetically myself.

Maybe it will take longer for me to find that kind of love, but I’d rather wait than settle. The right person won’t feel threatened by my independence; he’ll admire it. He won’t think I’m too much; he’ll think I’m just enough. And when that day comes, I’ll know that my mom’s words weren’t a warning—they were just a reminder that something truly worth having is never easy to find.