One of the most vital things you need in order to be successful in the dating game is confidence. Even if you don't have a lot of self-belief, you must dig deep within yourself to find the confidence to show other daters that you will be a good person to go out with. If you've recently been dumped by a partner this would have been a huge blow to your confidence levels, but you're going to have to put that experience behind you, or at least bury it deep so that you can move on with your dating life.

It doesn't matter if you think you are the most boring person on the earth, and can't think of any reason why anyone would want to spend some time alone with you, if you are hoping to date, you can't allow anyone else to think about you in the same negative way. If you really do believe that you won't find a date, this will be a self-fulfilling prophesy, so you must find some way to overcome your hyperactive inner critic and find some positive qualities about yourself that you can show off to potential dates. If you have the confidence to say "This is me, like me or not your choice!" then you are going to find that people will be interested in you and ask you out.

If you act reticent about dating, then you probably won't get asked out, not because people don't like you (which if you're low of self-confidence is probably what you'll think), but rather because they will assume you're not really interested. Shyness can be taken for disdain in some situations and in an area such as dating where people are often afraid of rejection, they will stay clear of asking anyone out that they think will reject them. Even if it takes an Oscar winning performance, you need to find your inner superstar and let them loose on social occasions where you are likely to meet potential dates.

People with confidence seem to attract other people effortlessly. It isn't because they are super-slim, or super-smart, and they don't have any secret potions that draw people to them. It's simply because they seem approachable. Shy people are more aloof and have an aura of "do not disturb" around them which doesn't aspire anyone who doesn't know them better to come and chat. Simply smiling at someone can be enough to have them come and talk to you, but once they get there, don't let your shyness have you staring at the ground and nodding your head – make good eye contact, and talk! If they've come to talk to you, there's something about you that they've found interesting enough to check out further, and if you don't let your shyness scare them away, you'll probably be asked out on a date.

Confidence isn't so much about feeling that you can take on the world, but more that you can convince other people that you can! You never know, if you're convincing enough, pretty soon you may be as confident as you're pretending to be!