What's A Good Way For A Shy Guy To Overcome That Nervous Feeling That Holds Him Back From Approaching Women?
The answer is to start small.

Don't worry about what anyone else is doing or what anyone else thinks.

Just go out for a day and go to a mall alone. Walk into every store and start a conversation with a woman who works there. Don't worry about whether the woman is good-looking, married or whatever. Simply practice.

At first, let the women start the conversations. When they say, "Can I help you find something?" reply with "Yes, that would be great. I'm looking for joy, peace and a rich girlfriend. Do you have any of those here?" Say it with a straight face, like a comedian would.

After you've done this 20 times, reflect on what you've learned. Think about what worked and what didn't. Think about the conversations that took place as a result.

Take a break, walk down to a department store, and spray some cologne on each wrist. On your right wrist you can spray D&G's "Dolce & Gabbana," and on your left wrist, Armani's "Acqua Di Gio."

Then, walk into 20 more stores. This time, try to make direct eye contact with the first woman you see that works there, and hold it until she either starts talking to you or she looks away. Then walk over to her and say, "Hi, I need a female perspective on something. Which of these colognes do you like better?"

Then, when she chooses one, shake your head and look at her with a disapproving look and say, "You would."

Then give her a sly smile and say, "Why do you like it better? I want to be a chick magnet here, so tell me what you're thinking."

If you do this exactly as I've described, you will have "gotten started," and you'll have a base of experience to work from.

By the way, if any of the women are cute, feel free to say, "Hey, I have to go. Do you have e-mail?"
How Important Is Confidence When It Comes To Attracting Women?
I think that confidence is important. But the real key is to deal with your own personal insecurities. That's where the real power is.

Banish your insecurities and get the truth behind her request to be "friends first"...

Do this: Make a list of all the things you're insecure about. Write down things like "I don't make a lot of money," "I don't drive a nice car," "I don't look like Brad Pitt..."

Then, spend time accepting each of those things.

I know this sounds a little bit like what you'd hear on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but go with me (and don't force me to lie down on your bed and hug you on national TV like they do on the show).

Think of a situation you're going to be in with a woman, and how the topic of the thing you're insecure about might come up. Imagine her asking you what you do for a living, and you feeling insecure because you don't make a lot of money.

Now, realize that what you do is what you do, and if she doesn't like it, it has nothing to do with you. It doesn't matter.

Then imagine another topic, and how you'll respond to it. Go through the entire list. Learn to laugh at the things you're insecure about.

I used to be very insecure about the fact that I was poor when I was a kid. I thought that women would judge me because I didn't come from a wealthy family. It's basically something I've brought with me from childhood -- it's my baggage.

Well now if a woman asks me about my childhood, I just laugh and tell her that I was poor. I couldn't care less what she thinks about my past and me.

I've taken the time to really think through all the areas of my life that I'm insecure about, and worked out my issues around those areas.

I think that's a great first step toward building confidence with women. Try it; you'll like it.
What Does It Really Mean When A Woman Says, "Let's Be Friends First?" Is This Just A Polite Way Of Turning Guys Down?
Okay, the only real difference between a woman saying, "I only like you as a friend" and "Let's be friends first and see what happens" is the following:

When you hear "Let's be friends first," it tricks you into believing that this could actually happen. So you wind up spanking your chicken for about 10 times as long.

When a woman says, "Let's be friends first," what she really means is: "I don't feel a gut level, sexual attraction for you right now, but you're an awful nice guy and I don't want to hurt your feelings."

If you see a personal ad stating, "Friends first," it probably means that the last guy she dated wanted to get married after the first date and she doesn't want another loser wuss boy in her life.

Of course, there are a lot of possibilities, but generally speaking, you don't want to get into "friend" mode because it's not easy to get out of it.

Telling her that she seems like she'd make a nice friend is a great idea, because it makes her wonder if you like her and it creates tension.