I think if my approach was good it was because it was genuine.
It's rare I run across someone that repeatedly catches my eye so much that I am both willing to make time for them and have the nerve to talk to them. When those stars align and I can get enough oxygen to my brain to spit out two bumbling sentences, the sincerity comes through.
I've come to realize, far more recently than I should have, that all I ever wanted for the women I've ever had feelings for during my life is to be happy. The ones that I know about are. There is a song by Cass Elliot, "Make your own Kind of Music" that has a lyric, "And if you cannot take my hand. And if you must be going I will understand." There is another song by the Traveling Wilburys, "End of the Line" where Tom Petty's last verse is "It don't matter what kind of car I drive. I'm just glad to be here; happy to be alive. And It don't matter if you're by my side. I'm satisfied." They kind of summarize (guide, maybe) how I approach this now.
I stop here as I really didn't intend to write a lengthy post. I'll link the referenced songs below, if you are interested.