people dont always perceive themself the way they truly are

I think we 'discover' who someone is by getting to know them more than we do by what they disclose about themself, and in my experience , disclosure leads to judgment based uipon someones past experience or steretypes

I have had this experience while chatting with folks online, for instance, who have a preconcieved Idea that christians are stupid and gullible,, after discussing different issues and topics with me for a while, are 'surprised' to find that I am christian

one was honest enough to tell me that the 'surprise' was due to him not expecting a christian to be capable of logic or reason,,,,,,

Experience.

You have an idea of who I am based on my responses on the forum, maybe a little personal detail here and there...However, as soon as what I've done comes out, that perceived persona is essentially trashed. Regardless of what I do now, what I've done has always hung people up.

Stalkers

Actually I feel I am pretty open about myself. Uh-oh... that may be my problem...

I'm pretty open about myself. I figure, what would be the point of attracting someone only to have them learn about me as a person and then decide they aren't interested in the person I am?

I'd rather be up-front about myself and know that if someone is interested in me it's because of who I really am. So I present myself essentially as-is, warts and all.