When you're out and interested in meeting someone special, it can be daunting to approach someone who catches your eye. Many of us have insecurities to deal with, and none of us like the idea of instant rejection. There's a lot of advice out there on how to get the woman of your dreams. Unfortunately, some of it just doesn't tend to work.

Chat-up lines, for example. Contrary to popular belief, they have a rather low success rate. Lines such as "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven" and "Do you come here often?" are so unoriginal that it's difficult to make a decent impression with them. And those are just some mild examples of what people come up with. The result tends to be a roll of the eyes, soon followed by the cold shoulder.

Poetic attempts should be avoided when approaching a woman. Especially when you're not a natural poet. But even if you're very good at coming up with poetic descriptions, you're not likely to get very positive results. The reason for this is that an approach of this kind doesn't tend to feel genuine. Nobody likes false flattery.

Asking a woman to buy you a drink in exchange for your company might not get you the results you are after. Not only will you probably end up without a drink, but you'll more likely than not find yourself a bit lonely. Yes, women enjoy equality. But we also like good manners. If you want to approach a woman, offering a drink is only polite. She might buy you one later on, if your company proves pleasant.

There's nothing wrong with being confident. However, bragging about your success and material possessions is not the key to good communication. Some men have the impression that women are after a man with a lot of money, a fast car, and a high-flying career. It is true that some women might be after that, but the majority of us really don't care. We're looking for someone with a good personality, who's kind and genuine and pleasant to talk with.

Being rude to a woman's friends is a bad idea. If a friend of someone who interests you approaches you, and you make unpleasant comments to them, the whole group of friends will know, and you will be avoided. It's a better idea to be polite and kind to all, even if you are not interested in them.

How then to approach a woman? It may sound like an overused statement, but just be yourself. If you do that, the woman who catches your attention will know who you are. That's far better than putting on an act. Not everyone will return your interest, but at least you stand a far better chance of getting a conversation going. Who knows where that might lead?