"How do I get to know her?"

Dear Ryan,

Confidence, my friend. It’s all about confidence! That’s how you get the girl. As a matter of fact, that’s how you get everything!

Here you are telling me you’re a good-looking guy and deep down you believe you stand a chance with this girl – she’s in your league – but your lack of confidence is keeping you from going for her. Well it’s up to you to change that! Build up that self-assurance and go for it.

Here’s a trick (a trick I live my life by): Even if you don’t feel uber-confident, fake it! Fake it till you make it. It may sound overly simple, but I guarantee you it works. Not only will your girl (and the rest of the world) be none the wiser, but pretty soon you won’t be faking it anymore. You’ll actually believe – and be – confident!

As for the single most attractive quality we possess? Confidence! So exude it. Trust in yourself and believe in who you are. You’re a great guy that any girl would be lucky to get to know and go out with – your crush is no different! Just the same as you’d feel elated to date her, how fortunate she’d be to get to date you! Remember that.Say this to yourself over and over: “I’m the prize!” Because it’s true, you are.

Keep in mind that your crush is just a person – same as you, same as all your friends and family members. Of course she’s special (as are you), but she’s only human. So remove her from the pedestal you’ve placed her on. This alone will make it a lot easier for you to talk to her.

So now that you’ve got confidence in tow and see her for the person she is, talk to her! What are you waiting for? Ask her what she’s up to this weekend and see if she wants to catch a movie with you. Or ask her to grab coffee with you one afternoon. Or if you’re too nervous to jump right into asking for a date, then little by little make chatting with her habit.

Pretty soon, it won’t feel nerve-wracking anymore because you’ll be so used to talking with her, you’ll view her as a friend (with a lot of romantic potential!).

Good luck!
Marissa