Yes, I stuck around in a relationship because I thought I could change a man. In fact, I married him and knew on the third day of our honeymoon that I had made a terrible mistake. 

My rationale was that I believed what he told me he was going to do. I held on to his words as truth. This gave me false hope and was actually a "high" for me. When it would fall to pieces, I was always devastated. I would cry and tell him what needed to change; he would agree to do it, and the cycle would start all over again. I wasted so much life on trying to make a bad relationship a good relationship. It never happened.

What I finally learned was he displayed poor character in the first place.  That was all  I needed to know. No apology or promise ever changed his character! No words ever changed who he already was. Character is already inside a person, and actions speak to real intentions. Actions always speak louder than words. All I do now is open my eyes and trust what I see, not what I hear.

Linda