Settling vs. Deciding....Is there a difference??!!

So, this topic stemmed from a conversation I had with a close friend...when I looked up the definition of these two words, they seemed to be one in the same...the definition of settle include decide and vice versa...but once I really put it into context, I was puzzled as to if they really were...ok, here we go...

In my mind, there is a difference between these two words, let's look at it in the case of relationships (of course, right...lol)...to me (this is my opinion and mine alone), settling is when you involve yourself in a relationship where you compromise your wants, needs, desires to appease the other person who doesn't have that same consideration for you and you do it because you either love them, are tired of dating, or a combination of both...deciding, on the other hand, is when you've reached a certain place in life, i.e., ready to be in a committed relationship, someone comes along who's goals are aligned with yours (the relationship piece), they meet most of your "standards" and while this may not be the person you thought you'd be with, you DECIDE to be with them...

My friend dropped this knowledge on me that was passed on to her by one of her male friends: there's the person you should've married, the one you could've married and the one you actually married...now, in some cases, these may all be one in the same, but I'm guessing NOT, in most cases...I have several married friends, some of which I know for sure made a decision to marry the individual that they did, not necessarily because they felt like that person was "the one", but that person was in the right place, at the right time, with the right mindset....I personally think that's okay...now, when I was younger, I was fixated on this whole there's only one person in the world for me, blah, blah, blah...I think there are several, I just have to DECIDE which one I want and all other things must align...

Settling, IMO, comes in different forms...I think people are considered to have settled if they marry someone that they have several children with, just because of the kids, or they've been together for 20yrs, so that's the next natural step, or they already live together, so why not...BUT, in some cases it could be, I have 2 kids with you and I've DECIDED that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and us as a family...how do you distinguish between these two things...

As you can read, it seems like these two things can be one in the same, but can also be quite different...I'm really interested to know the varying opinions on this topic...don't worry, if you don't want to be known, feel free to post your comment anonymously...I'm just wanting some good commentary out of this....

Settling vs. Deciding...Is there a difference??!!