As you know, I believe there are a lot of men and women out there who are going to great lengths to approach a certain level of "beauty" that is, for the most part, a constant chasing after the wind.

Last night I happened upon "The Bachelor" as I was flipping channels. The eponymous subject is apparently to decide between four women, all of whom are completely different.

What a heart-wrenching challenge for him, according to the plot.

Well, I looked at the TV and as my eyes started to glaze over (losing interest) it dawned on me. I was personally feeling zero attraction for any of the four women he had before him.

Don't get me wrong. It's not anyone's fault that this is the case.

Everyone involved with the show is beautiful, "nice", etc.

I'm just different.

And this got me to thinking. If I really consider the type of woman I would be most attracted to, she would never really be the "Barbie" type, approaching media-driven perfection physically. Ever.

Let me spell this out: Put a woman who somehow seems more like an even match for me next to "Barbie", and I will be feeling more natural, visceral "energy" for the former than for the Super Model type.

So who is this chick?

Some call her the "Girl Next Door". I call her amazing, and I know exactly why.

It's precisely the fact that she is NOT so perfect that makes her more attractive to me.

The 'imperfections' themselves may not be so easily defined. In fact, I'm hard pressed to come up with a laundry list of them because it would be different for me than it would be for you.

But basically, such a woman brings a total package that I can flat-out appreciate. Maybe the "imperfections" are exactly those I can relate to.

But whatever the case, what makes her potentially "imperfect" for others is what makes her who she is in my eyes, and I would never want to change her to be more "perfect".

In every case, though, she's the type of woman who others will invariable say "looks cute with me". We just look like and act like we belong together.

This is a magical thing.

When I know this is going on, I am proud to be with her and to be seen with her, even if other guys may not have seen in her what I see.

In situations like these when things are firing on all cylinders, we both understand how what's perfect and what's imperfect work together to make us get along so well.

It has been said that people often end up together who physically look alike. If you have ever seen a couple and aren't really sure if they are brother/sister or on a date, you know exactly what I'm getting at. I think this is absolutely true.

I have a friend who is physically very different than I am, and the women he tends to go nuts over I wouldn't ask out in a million years.

But see, what I think doesn't matter to him, nor should it.

If he is with someone who he really digs, then that is all that counts.

And it's particularly interesting how he gravitates towards women who kind of look like him.

Unfortunately, many of us want approval from others when it comes to who we are dating. We want to be with the one who everyone else finds attractive.

The irony is, of course, that this is impossible to really measure for sure, and quickly becomes wasted energy.

Want a quick test as to whether you are vulnerable to this way of thinking?

Here it is: Have you ever found yourself dating someone who many of your friends think is utterly fantastic, when you yourself have this nagging feeling that you are not appreciating her as much as someone else would?

I certainly have in the past. It's as if I am dating someone else's woman.

It's easy to get somewhat confused in these cases because the feeling on the surface is, "What is wrong with me? How come I can't fall for this person?"

Well, that's a case of being caught up in seeking "perfection" rather than "imperfect perfection".

Get it?

Just in case you don't, consider this: The SAME holds true if you're passing up women who you're genuinely drawn to simply because you're concerned that they won't be beautiful enough, impressive enough, etc. for "the masses" (i.e. your social circle).

Nobody is perfect of course, but focusing on someone who is perfect for me is about as good as it gets. What about you?

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!