Such varied paths we must take to a goal

I've always wondered why I've been attracted to women who have strong, upbeat personalities.  Some people might describe them as overbearing or opinionated.  It would seem that I was asking for a severely bruised ego by going after someone with a dominating personality.

You know, shy, introverted guy interested in a brash, extroverted female.  Undoubtedly the standard opposites attract cliche.  Right?  Well, not quite.  I may be shy and introverted, but I certainly have a stubborn and rebellious streak in me.  The type that doesn't take kindly to being told what to do.  And when I'm certain of the ground I'm standing on, I can be just as loud and well, extroverted seeming.

So, what exactly makes me interested in that type of person, someone who would spend a lot of time arguing (loudly) with me when I felt I was right about something?  It's simple.  And it took me years of introspection to realize it.  So obscenely simple.

I want affirmation. Affirmation that I could never humbly be demure about.  I need to be wanted in a way that no matter how much I denied it, it would be loudly expressed by someone who couldn't express it any other way because they'd be too honest to say something that wasn't true to them.  And when I can no longer deny it, to know that in the silence that remains, I would still hear that affirmation calling out to me.

Isn't it funny how varied are the paths to the same simple goal and desire?