It was back in 2018, I was only 16.

I was on vacation at a resort in northeast Brazil, staying with my parents and some friends of theirs.

First day there, I see this girl at the pool — absolutely stunning. Curvy, pretty face, amazing body. The type that instantly makes your brain say “nah, she’s way out of my league.”

I was already learning some fundamentals back then, but I was still terrified. I had never put it into practice. I saw her multiple times after that, never said a word. My mind kept throwing every excuse in the book. “She looks older than you.” “She’ll reject you.” “She’ll laugh.”

You know how it goes.

Then one day I saw her alone in a corridor, just scrolling her phone. I walked past her. Once. Twice. Three times. My heart racing. Thinking about it now I’m pretty sure I looked like a jackass walking past her without saying anything or going anywhere.

But I just didn’t have the balls…

And then, something clicked. I told myself to just move my legs and put myself in front of her. That way I wouldn’t have any option but to talk to her, right? Because if I didn’t, it would just be even more cringe.

I thought, “If I walk over and say hi, I win. No matter what happens after.”

So I did. I walked up to her and said hi, shitting myself. Turns out she was from Argentina. I didn’t speak a word of spanish back then. We talked for 20–30 minutes. In a language I didn’t even understand properly. She was kind. Chill. Sweet. None of that bullshit my brain was telling me about her (apart from the fact that she was indeed older).

We exchanged Instagrams. Nothing happened during the trip, but a week later she liked one of my pics and left a heart emoji in the comments. My 16-year-old self felt like a god.

And we still have contact until this very day. All because of one moment of courage.

If I had the skill I do now, I would’ve definitely made something happen. But honestly, what I got from that moment was worth even more. I killed that fake fear my brain had been feeding me for years. After that, everything got easier.

Every approach I’ve done since follows the same formula: Shut off your brain. Move your body. Say hi. You’ll be amazed at what happens after.

And by the way, before some of the guys begin throwing excuses, back then I looked like a damn vampire because I was on Roacutan/Isotretinoin (medicine for acne, for the ones who don’t know it). I was not some GQ model. But even then, girls were kind. They didn’t disrespect me. They could feel I had the guts to walk up and that alone earns you respect.

So if you’re reading this and stuck in your head, let this be your sign. The moment you say hi, you already won.

If you’ve ever had a moment like this, I’d really like to hear it. Shoot me a comment (or DM if you feel more comfortable) if you want help making your own first move.