OK I've had some lady friends who have come and gone from my life through the years. I'm one of the shyest people anyone would meet. Every time I see pretty women, I just don't have the nerve to say hello or anything else. I'm not the type who gets back up and tries again. I have a tendency to take the ball and go home when things don't go my way. One of my friends would laugh about my lack of luck with the ladies and then say "I don't mean to laugh." I certainly won't disrespect or even offend women if they don't give me the time of day or will be rude towards me. I'm pretty much lost on this.

Hello RPL & welcome.

Are you 'lost' because you feel that you are unable to attract a girlfriend?

You say that you have had lady friends, so, shy as you are, you have had some success in this area. That's a positive thing!

Lots of males and females get shy around the opposite sex. Sometimes they hide it by behaving overly brave and confident, but this bravado can mask shyness.

One thing is certain, the more you worry about it, the bigger the 'problem' will become and the more awkward you will feel around women.

The best thing you can do ~ hard as it my sound ~ is to try to forget about it. Do interesting things. But be 'active' in this. Doing things alone at home isn't likely to help. Go out and find interesting things to do.

This could mean sport, or hobbies, or amateur dramatics, or first aid, or a book club. Go and do things that you enjoy and which involve other people.

Whether or not you find a girl, you will be enriching your life. You may become less shy. And you will meet people who have similar interests to you. You may just find that there is a girl out there just suited to you.

What do you think?