I wouldn't say "not good enough" but some people do have very specific preconceptions about who they will date or have a relationship with. Two examples that come to mind are people who want to be a "power couple" and are looking for someone who fits that description and people who come from very wealthy families and don't have relationships except with other very wealthy people.

Those examples come from my own observations.
Okay, you're talking about starting a conversation with a stranger here. If I'm in a position where it's reasonable to chat (like waiting in a line, browsing in a bookstore) I probably would strike up a conversation anyway. I would just keep it to general chat, though.

Some of this stuff I'm saying is from "me in my 20s", since I'm not interested in starting a relationship now and am more likely to chat with anyone who seems interesting UNLESS they seem like they might be interested in me.

I would suggest chatting to people other than women that look like a romantic prospect. It gives you practice in talking to people, and especially if you see the same people a lot, it can give you access to people that they know.

1. That guy smiled at me. He seems interested. I might be interested. I smile back and say "hello".

2. That guy smiled at me. I think he's just being friendly. I smile back. If I'm in the mood to chat and there's an opportunity, I take it. I might make a new friend or just have an interesting exchange.

3. That guy smiled at me. He looks hungry and he's looking at me like I'm a bucket of fried chicken. I nod and avoid him.

Pretty much the same reactions as to "3".

A guy, who I've classified as probably not being someone who's interested in me, smiles at me in a shop. I smile back unless I think he's creepy, then I'd probably just nod. (Yes, there are absolutely people that I wouldn't WANT to date in that group of people who probably wouldn't want to date me.)

Ah, I'd better skip that one. Too complicated. I try not to read things into hugs. Very hard to sort out all that body language.

The Other Points:

1. You seem to mostly be talking about approaching strangers, or near-strangers, here. In my fairly extensive experience, I have only ever ended up on a date (that's what people my age call it) with someone I've met in that way when there was either very obviously a strong physical attraction on both our parts or when I've really liked someone's personality and enjoyed their conversation (or all of those.)

That didn't necessarily mean I wanted to have sex with the person right away or be in a relationship with them. The date was more of a "trying it out" sort of thing to see how we got along if we spent more time together.

2. I think it's important to talk to and to have acquaintances and even friends of all ages. A good conversational exchange is a goal in and of itself.

3. I know people always say this, but I met a lot of guys that I ended up dating through things like parties at a friend's house, playing on a sports team, participating in volunteer activities, and at church. In other words, I was usually busy doing something else other than looking for someone to date when I actually met someone to date.

Actually looking for someone to date often seems to have the effect of making it more difficult. The corollary to this is that when you're dating someone, many more people will sudden become interested in you. It's extremely frustrating.

4. I know that you wrote this post specifically to compare women's reactions to your own, but whenever I read posts on this forum where men are discussing how to approach women and how to notice that they are interested, I find myself wondering about other aspects of their life. Do they have a job or studies that interest them? Do they have hobbies or interests that they pursue? What kind of things do they do or think about - do they read, really like certain types of film - what are their interests? Do they have life goals or do they kind of just float along? (I'm not wondering about these things in relation to your attracting women - I just wonder what else people who ask about attracting women focus their attention on.)

5. Okay, this one IS advice. I imagine you already do this, but you did ask for other advice. Appearance - I look at hygiene. If a person looks unbathed or their clothing is disheveled, unless they've been working hard on a project or studying for a test or just finished some sporting or work activity, poor hygiene is a big turn-off. Especially dental hygiene. Fingernails or toenails, dirty or unkempt hair. Filthy glasses. I'm not saying all women will reject a guy for this. If I want to do some redecorating or remodeling, it's going to be furniture or a house, not a man.

Clothing. Shouldn't look like you sleep in it. Should at least look like you think a little bit about what you wear. Unless you are a charming nerd, then you may get a pass here.

I look at posture and overall physical fitness. I do this more as a measure of self-esteem and overall healthy attitude than because of "good looks". It's sort of a body language thing, I suppose.

6. Money. If you have dysfunctional habits with money (either spend too freely or not freely enough) that's not a good signal. If you have a plan for your money, that's a sign of maturity and good judgement. Women who are family-oriented will probably find this especially appealing.

7. Forward momentum when you're young, and comfortable with where you are with positive things going on (work, interests, social connections) when you're older.

8. Be reliable. (This is my personal preference.) I know that some women go for guys who are spectacularly unreliable, but a lot of women find reliability and steadiness to be very appealing, especially if they've had a bad relationship with an unreliable guy.

My idea of a "really hot guy" isn't anything like the stereotypical idea, so it would probably depend on my mood and self-esteem that day. If I'm in a good mood, I will walk up to pretty much anyone and talk to them.

I would not try to "hit on" someone I don't know, though, because I think it's creepy and rude. But yeah, I might walk up to a guy I find totally hot and say "Hello?" and then attempt to chat.

Last comment. Whenever a man approaches a woman, he should keep in mind that the large majority of women spend a lot of time getting hit on by unpleasant men.

I'm over 50 now, and would certainly expected it to stop by now, but it hasn't. It has gotten worse in some ways, because of my income level being a lot lower since I've been on disability.

I'm not able to afford to dress very well or spend much on hair or makeup anymore, and this seems to have led to my being classified as being on a lower "pecking order". It may also have something to do with the fact that I ride the bus for transportation.

I get men I don't know asking if I want to spend the night with them, asking if they can come home with me, suggesting that I might want to go to a motel with them. I try to laugh about it.

But that's probably not relevant to your situation.

My point is that women are often already a little on guard when they're out in public.

I know that hearing that usually just makes shy men think "OMG, am I being that guy?"

These interactions are unquestionably difficult. If you're not sure if a woman is interested, one thing to try to observe and decide is if she's shy. If she's pretty upfront generally, then if she's hesitant or makes excuses if you ask her out, then she's probably not interested. I'll let the shy women tell you how they operate.

You are one of the more interesting (to me) guys who have posted on PC about approaching women, because in reading your posts, I get the impression that you're perfectly self-confident in most areas but not where it comes to women.

I don't know if life coaches are abundant where you live. Where I live, you could totally find a life coach to help you figure out how to meet women. It really sounds like you just need some in-person advice and maybe someone to do a "ride-along" (so to speak) to watch you as you interact with people. Just something that you might think about.