I appreciate the responses so far, but I want to clarify just a little bit about what I'm asking and why I'm asking it...
I would like to know what changed for you in the moment - when you're considering talking to a beautiful woman, afraid of being rejected, and mentally talking yourself out of it.
What was the difference between all the times you successfully talked yourself out of it, versus the first time you went up and talked to her anyway?
The reason I ask is that with the coaching that I'm offering, the most common problem is approach anxiety. I can teach guys a lot of things, but I cannot force them to take action...just like a personal trainer can't force their client to walk into the gym, or the old adage about "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink".
I'm wondering if there's a common theme among those of you who have overcome it, and if there's a way I can eliminate that barrier to entry for these guys.
For me, I saw a lot of my friends in long-term relationships with average women where sex was withheld for special occasions or good behavior. I decided I didn't want that for myself, so I started using canned pickup lines at a beach during my family's vacation, where I'd approach any woman I found attractive. This led me to overcome approach anxiety, get comfortable flirting with women, and do so in an environment where the rejections didn't follow me home and affect my reputation in my school or hometown.
That's what I'm hoping to hear from you guys, how you did it.