He loves me … he loves me not … if only finding the answer were as simple as plucking petals off a flower. So what makes it so hard to determine if a man truly loves you?

A lot of us have ideas about what love should be what it should look like, and how it should feel. A lot of the time these ideas are plain wrong (we can thank romantic comedies for that). As a result, some of us might not recognize the real thing when it comes our way.

Maybe it’s because of these grand visions of love that have been implanted in our minds, but it could also be the result of being burned too many times in the past and having walls up when it comes to either giving love or being able to receive it.

The point is, love is a tricky thing. A guy can say he loves you and not truly mean it, and a guy can love you a lot but not be ready to say it.

Love, as beautiful as it is, can also be scary, and a lot of us keep our guard up until we’re sure he feels a certain way in order to keep from getting hurt. As the saying goes, before you fall in love, make sure there is someone there to catch you.

The trouble with this is that when you get caught up in trying to figure out if a man loves you, you can no longer be present in the relationship. Instead of connecting, you are stuck in your own worried thoughts, and those thoughts produce fears and insecurities that ultimately block you from getting the love you want.

A woman really doesn’t want much from a man. There are really only seven things – seven qualities that she’s looking for in a life partner. Although these qualities are hard to find, they are qualities of which every man is capable. These seven things are not out of any man’s reach, yet the fact is that most lack at least one.

Now, you may like to argue that no one is perfect and therefore no one has all seven of these qualities, but that’s just not true. There are plenty of men out there who are sufficient in each of these categories, not perfectly, but sufficient enough to make a woman incredibly happy. That’s all that matters, right?

A woman doesn’t want a man to lie to her about important matters. She wants to be an important part of his life – the most important part, in fact. She wants to know the things that are going on his life and she wants him to have trust in her. As far as she is concerned, they are one – his life is her life.

She wants him to want to share in his pleasant experiences and memories. She also doesn’t want him to feel that he has to lie, because when that is the case it usually means that he was stepping out of line, making poor choices and mistakes. On the other hand, she doesn’t want the truth in all circumstances. Brutal honesty isn’t wanted.If she asks, she looks great, she looks beautiful, the fact she gained 15 pounds doesn’t bother you, her new haircut makes her look even cuter. Now that I think about it, the only thing you should really lie is about such shallow matters as appearances. We all look like sh*t sometimes – but she doesn’t need to hear you say it.

No woman wants a physical weakling – it’s against her nature. That doesn’t mean she won’t settle for slightly less than Herculean, but you’re a man dammit. She wants to feel that when she’s in your presence. She wants you to be intelligent and to practice self-control simply because you can.

We’re all still animals and women will always be attracted to the stronger men. She wants you to be strong not for the sake of being strong – she wants you to be strong for her. It brings her pleasure, makes her feel safe and turns her on. Do you honestly need more convincing?

5. Compassion – shows her you're capable of lo

A woman doesn’t only want a man to have love only for her, but a love for life, for living things. She wants a kind man, a man whom others will look up to, appreciate and admire. She wants a good man.

She doesn’t see being good and compassionate as a weakness. And that’s because it’s not. I know lots of men are taught that to be strong you have to be hateful, spiteful and malicious. That’s very unfortunate, but it’s simply the world we live in. She doesn’t need that. You don’t need that either. No one does.