When you start hanging out with a woman without flirting from the get-go, she will take that as a sign you're not into her romantically (duh). Once the relationship has been defined as a non-flirting zone, it's hard to change it. Even if you're feelings have grown, she'll have felt rejected from the start. "A girl might immediately put you into the friend-only category because, although she might have initially felt some sort of attraction to you, she now feels that you do not share those feelings and it's hard to switch back after a friendship has been formed. Women are fickle creatures and if they feel a rejection, even if it is artificial, it's hard to change their minds,". So if you think there's any chance you're going to be into her, its best to leave all doors open -- after all, flirting is healthy!

Maybe your best romantic relationships started out as friendships. But maybe that's just a cliche. Most women have timing thresholds between when a guy becomes a 'friend we could potentially date' and a 'friend who will only ever be a friend.' That's probably because by that time, you've seen her at her worst -- post-breakup, no makeup, at the gym, etc. It becomes hard to think you'll see her as the mysterious, intriguing beauty she wants to be when she's first dating a guy.

Also, when things don't progress fast enough, and the friendship becomes a deep one, most women won't want to risk ruining an amazing friendship for a potential dating disaster. If you spark up a friendship with a girl who you might be interested in dating... show your feelings before she moves you from the 'potential date/maybe a friend' to the 'definitely a friend' category. Even if she is not interested, at least she will know how you feel.

Women are into decisive men who know what they want, especially when those men want them. It's less attractive -- because it's way less romantic -- to be friends with a guy who suddenly realises he wants more. Why didn't you think we were attractive from the beginning? Women don't want you to realise one day what a great gem they are. They want you to see their potential right away and then pursue them.

Of course you should be respectful and not treat women as objects, but it is quite possible to do that while making sure you're letting her know you find her attractive and sexy. When you're too afraid of coming off as disrespectful, you probably hold back a lot of the signals women read as you finding them desirable. And if we don't think you see us as desirable, that's the end of any potential dating situation. Women don't want to be treated as porcelain dolls...most of them like being treated as attractive, sexy adults by a man who acts like a man, not one who acts like a starstruck boy.

By not asking for a date you are implicitly saying, "I don't want to audition -- don't consider me for the role." Unless you are irresistible, most women will be perfectly OK to have a male friend like that in perpetuity while they continue to search for the right partner.

So, ask them for a date and/or make it clear that you want to be more than a friend. The worst that will happen is they will say no, and you will have saved yourself a lot of time you would have spent wondering whether this friendship will turn into a romantic relationship.

This is a bit of a cheesy one, but it has happened before and it will happen again. Sometimes, a woman just isn't physically attracted to a man -- and then, boom. They decide to go for a swim one day. She sees how fit you are, that you're way more built than she ever imagined. A muscular frame can do a lot to spark a woman's imagination, and soon she'll be seeing you in all sorts of ways she never had before. If you don't have muscles, then work out. At least your arms.

As we all know, confidence is sexy. And when are you at your most confident? When you're doing something you're good at. So figure out a way to have the girl you fancy see you in your most natural habitat, doing what you do best. Your concentration and skill in action will be very attractive. This can be anything from playing guitar to mixing a cocktail to computer skills to video gaming. Yes, we said video gaming. You can find your ideal woman who is attracted to all of those things, and that will be the woman for you.

Most likely, if a woman sees you only as a mate and nothing more, it's because we're not physically attracted to you. Which doesn't mean you're not attractive -- but attraction is obviously a subjective thing. In order to see you as a potential romantic partner, attraction needs to be there. However, one of the wonderful and horrendously unfair things about being a man is you have huge opportunity to increase your own attractiveness by way of confidence and developing a broad range of interests and skills. Now it's up to you.