Let's say you are a 25 year old virgin. You decide to change this, and you start by cold approaching, because you're sensitive to rejection. Yet you've heard that you should just rely on choosing signals/IOIs.

What good is waiting for IOIs when you'll be too nervous in an interaction with the girl anyways? For me for example, I went to a college gym to start my membership yesterday. Given that it's the end of the school year, there were only 2 people in there: 2 girls. As I went to the front desk to fill out paperwork, I passed by one girl who smiled. I was maintaining eye contact, but when I said "Hi", I stuttered. I got no reply, although she kept smiling.

Again, with regards to the topic, in a way that could be seen as an IOI. But given that I never get rejected (because I don't approach anyone to begin with), how could I not display thirsty/needy/creepy energy?

It was less than a month ago that I quit watching porn. This was because I just moved out from home into the city. I can't help but wonder the damage it did.