No matter how successful you may be with the ladies, there has likely been a time or three in your life when you tried to talk to a girl and she either wasn’t interested or you said something to embarrass yourself. For some reason, teenagers and adult men seem to think that they should have a perfect record of success when it comes to approaching girls and that failure on any level is cause for humiliation. In reality, approaching girls and talking to them takes practice, just like any other skill. You are going to fail and you are likely going to embarrass yourself more than once. The key is to learn from your mistakes and improve. Here are a few helpful tips on how to approach a girl without blowing it.

First, you need to run a quick self-diagnostic. As much as we may not want to admit it, the initial attraction that two people have for each other is based solely on physical attributes. She may end up falling in love with you because of your rapier sharp wit or because you are always there for her emotionally, but none of things matter if you have breath that could knock over a horse when you first say hello. Check to make sure that your clothes are in reasonable condition, that you aren’t giving off any offending odours and that your teeth are brushed before you even think of approaching a potential love interest. Learning how to approach a girl means being able to see your own flaws before she does.

Next, you want to always make an effort to be yourself. It sounds like common sense, or like a cheesy plot device on an 80’s sitcom, but a surprising number of men think they have to act in a way that isn’t truly reflective of who they are to impress a woman. Let’s say, for a second, that this “new you” does manage to woo the girl of your dreams. You are going to have to be honest with her at some point, and when you are, what do you think is going to happen? They say that honesty is the best policy when it comes to relationships and that honesty begins at, “Hello, I’m….” Although fibbing may be tempting, the best tip for how to approach a girl is to be yourself.

Finally, don’t be afraid to close the deal. It can be a bit scary to have to make that final leap, especially if the conversation is going well, but if she walks out of your life, there is a chance you may never see her again. The worst thing that can happen is that she says no. You would simply smile, thank her for chatting and walk away. If you are going to approach girls on a regular basis, you are going to have to get used to hearing no, so don’t blow a potential date because you were afraid of rejection. Learning how to approach a girl means learning how to take risks and accepting their outcomes, even when they don’t work out.