i don't know. i think my concept of relationships, in general, is pretty immature right now... and I've been in a relationship for 5 years. I am not sure if I'm settling in this relationship or not... I don't think I am, but who knows. I don't have many answers. Just lots of questions.
I like what onesnow said:
We all must eventually compromise in our relationships in order to sustain them, but that is not settling. That is deciding that you have something worth working for.
That being said, I DON'T think it's good to settle. It's important to me to find a complementary relationship that works, and is able to withstand ups and downs. Nothing is perfect, but if you can weather the tough times, and grow together, then that's good enough for me. And that doesn't mean I'm settling.
This reminds me of an article I read once:
Marry Him!
The case on marrying Mr. Good Enough (settling). Completely disagree. The article pisses me off, and yeah...