I was going to make a separate thread about this actually but I'll just state it here.
Some guys are built to be happy on their own and can function just fine(I find some of these guys have more of a selfish and narcissistic traits). They don't have to feel loved or be in love. That's not important as much as sex to them.
Then there are guys that feel more fulfilled in their lives by having women around. Feeling wanted and giving/getting affection and emotional support.
Where most of the latter guys fail at is balance as someone else eluded to. Some guys get too dependent on women for their happiness.
There is nothing wrong with having a woman around to make you that much more happier but it should be with the right woman and not just any. Learn to seek out, screen, and invest in the right woman. That's the key.
Also learn to look past artificial stuff and see for what she has in her heart. Look to see if she's generally a good person and don't try to chase outward perfection. Maybe because I rebuild and fix up cars and houses but I generally tend to look past things at face value and look at the potential of things. That's the way you have to think. At the same time, don't be a captain save-a-ho and know when you're being taken and eject accordingly. It's something you'll get better with experience.
I realized I've probably been a serial monogamist most of my life looking back. I was always in one LTR or another. What has this allowed me to do? It has taken the chasing girl aspect out of the equation and let me focus and pursue other interests in life. Thinking back, if I was too picky and was always chasing perfection, I would've spend most of my time chasing girls and not getting anything done and not improving myself. That's the bottom line.
Because I've been in LTR's practically my whole life, I've been able to focus on other things throughout my life like rebuilding entire cars, rehabbing houses(hvac, framing, plumbing, electrical, flooring, etc), motorcycle/car racing, guitar/piano/drum/saxophone learning, windsurfing, etc.
Right now, if I lost my job in the computer field, I know I can easily go into one of my many skills I've picked up in life. I can't say I would have built these skills if I was always chasing women.
Now my main purpose in life after being married and having kids is investing in my kids 100% so they can be good productive humans. One could say I've done it all and have or had a complete life. If I was to die tomorrow, I'd be ok with it.
I think some guys need a good woman to redirect your focus on other things. I know some will disagree with me on this but I feel this is just the way it is with some guys.
So my suggestion is to seek out quality girls that you can invest in and hopefully get some returns so that you can focus on other things that will help you in life.
However, if you fall into the first category of just being fine without women but needing just sex, then just be mindful of not letting women take your time away from improving yourself. For example, I used to break my regimented workout schedule whenever a date came up. You should be rigid for YOUR time that YOU set aside for self improvement(whatever that may be) and have it be non-negotiable for any woman.
TL;DR - Always balance your life but do not negotiate your interests/self improvement over a girl as the self improvments you make will stay with you for your entire life. Girls on the other hand may or may not always be there.
