How to be confident?

Most common advice is that looks don’t matter that much as long as you are confident and have self esteem. But its not like i breath in and i have confidence easily. It’s easier said than done.

What are the realistic methods to improve confidence and self esteem so i can ask a girl out instead of being stuck in the convo phases. This is not just for asking out but i need confidence and self esteem in general.

I see dating gurus and dating coaches that are promoting something but i feel like they are sharing free tips and advice that barely work, make us fail repeatedly so that we give in and buy their program. I mean where do pickup lines even work, unless im a 8/10 or higher. Cold approaching prolly doesn’t work in the country where i live (non western south asian country).

It would be a great help if i can get proven advice that has worked for people, even for introverts, on how to be the type of person that people wanna be with, and subsequently, the guy that a girl would be with. A guy that is attractive and magnetic without good looks.

I want to be more social and verbal but i don’t easily make a lot of friends. Im more prone to make one or few friends at a time and saturate on that person. Even if there’s plenty of girls out there i struggle to choose one.