People see me as friendly and confident, so I’m kind of starting on 3rd base here, but even for me making friends requires a lot of effort. I put myself in sit

People see me as friendly and confident, so I’m kind of starting on 3rd base here, but even for me making friends requires a lot of effort. I put myself in situations every day that force me to meet people, often the same people, over and over. I rock climb, I go to social clubs, I learn a language, I relax in the park — and then I talk to anyone who I find interesting (within reason.) Something as simple as: “can I pet your dog?” (I love dogs) or “wait, are you speaking Italian? Di dove sei?” (I love Italy.) At the rock wall: “holy shit, you’re jacked! Whose children are you eating to get muscles like that?” or “can you show me the sequence? I’m stuck here.” Bear in mind that these are sincere questions that also work as icebreakers and I think that’s the point, that people like honestly. Relax, don’t come off as a try-hard, and just let things happen naturally. I’m kind of a goofy guy so maybe only 1/10 people are receptive, and then maybe 1/10 of those people stay in touch. And then you gotta do your part and continue to put in the time to see these people, provided you don’t see them by default. Otherwise they’ll disappear. Great friendships are often based on a shared sense of purpose, so do things you like to do, just around other people. College ideas: fraternity, sports, classes, book clubs, study clubs, meditation groups, activist clubs, exercise in a public space. Concrete action: try to do one of these things every single day, and try to interact with someone one-on-one every time. You got this man. Go forth and be chill. (Also read Dale Carnegie’s book!) You can reach out to me personally, if you’re interested. Reply to my message and I’ll give you an email.