Getting Attached to Potential, Not People
( A psychological trap many young people fall into) There’s a strange kind of relationship many people experience in their teens and twenties. You’re not actually in love with the person . You’re in love with the person they could become . Maybe you tell yourself things like: “Once they get their life together, they’ll be amazing.” “They have so much potential.” “If they just tried harder, they could be perfect.” And slowly, without realizing it, you stop seeing the real person in front of you . You start seeing a future version of them that exists only in your mind. This is what psychologists often call “falling in love with potential.” Why Young People Fall Into This Trap In your 20s, life feels like a work in progress . Nobody has everything figured out. Careers are starting, identities are forming, personalities are evolving. Because of this, many young people begin relationships thinking: “Everyone is growing anyway. So this person will grow too.” And sometim...
