I have had only one girlfriend. For around two years. And that ended five years ago now. At first I really wanted another one, then, eventually, I would just sometimes long for one, and I would be really sad about not having one, but at all times I knew that I have to learn to be perfectly fine without another person in my life. Now, it feels like I have reached that and I can't believe it, because I doubted it being truly possible.
Not that this is the way to go, just my story.

And the five years wasn't by choice. I have very high standards for women, while at the same time women don't find me a piece of art. Because I'm a weirdo. I've collected a folder of advice that I liked regarding women, I'll send it to you once I'm on my laptop that's in Glasgow. But the thing is, that advice I could not just act on. I had to slowly change my views and, as a result, the way I act in accordance to whatever ideas I chose to believe in. But its not even about that,  I'm just wandering off.
It's about the way it is now. At the age of 24 I finally feel that I'm maturing. Only now. With that comes calm confidence. And, as said before, I am fine without the perspective of having a girlfriend now. There are other things that I want to put first now. For example, I'd rather get a fulfilling career rolling than fixate on looking for a girl. Baselessly, I believe that they will come once the rest of my life is in order. And you know the confidence and needlessness I mentioned earlier? Put those two together, add the little trick where you try to find the flaws in a girl to get her off the imaginary pedestal in your head, and you become a real charmer. Besides, I am the one belonging on the pedestal :) Right now I have meetings with several new friends and I don't even want to call that 'dates' with 'girls', because I am going there not looking for that. I'm just hoping to enjoy MY time in a company of someone attractive and, hopefully, interesting. I met up with one of the friends today and it felt good to not have any intentions. I could really relax and have fun. She is indeed top girlfriend material, but I really didn't let that sway me one bit. I was just having fun listening to a beautiful and very smart person talk to me about things. If we ever happen to date each other, cool. But she's from a different city to start with, and I have no heartache with not dating her (I can't speak about the upcoming meetings). The way I see it, women should be attracted to how I am now. I display no intentions, so they can relax and get curious.
However. There's a next step in meeting women. You mustn't drag things on. If you want to have a woman as your girlfriend, you kind of have to be straightforward about it. You have to make it clear that you want to date her, not to be her friend. And you have to act that way. So if you're just a super nice guy around women, they don't get the message at all.