PS: If you've ever felt that paralyzing fear of approaching new people—this one's for you.

I'll show you how to stack the deck in your favor and double your success rate with new connections.

Want to know how to:

• Tell if strangers want to be approached
• Avoid doomed-from-the-start connections
• Control what matters (and ignore what doesn't)?

Full breakdown in The Friendship Engineer: connordaly.substack.com/p/the-3-hid...

Here's the wild part:

You can optimize these variables BEFORE leaving your house.

The key insight: Most social rejections aren't about you! They're about the other person's current level of openness.

3. Mood 🎭

This is the most unpredictable factor and the one you have least control over.

Someone having a rough day might reject even the friendliest approach.

If you pop out of the shadows in a dark alley, it doesn't matter what your opener is.

All they'll hear is "I'm going to stab you" 🔪

(Don't do this)

2. Trust 🤝

Trust isn't about what you say—it's about the situation you're in.

At social events, people are mentally prepared for new conversations.
They've agreed to talk just by showing up!

But catch them picking out produce? That's playing on hard mode.

1. Social Expectations 📊

The difference between chatting someone up at a party vs. the grocery store isn't just context—it's expectations.

I used to freeze up at events, clutching my drink while others chatted effortlessly.

But after hundreds of approaches (and plenty of awkward ones), I discovered something fascinating:

There are just 3 key conditions that determine if you'll hit it off with someone new.

If you need a refresher on anchor events

connordaly.substack.com/p/stop-awkw...

PS: If you've ever said "I don't need any more friends" but you're not sure you believe yourself—this one's for you.

Let me show you how to build the kind of friend network that makes any adventure possible.

That's the quick pitch!

Want to learn more about the benefits of abundant friendships and how to build these kinds of friendships systematically?

I break down my exact framework in the latest edition of The Friendship Engineer.

connordaly.substack.com/p/your-netw...

With abundant friendships, no single friend needs to be everything to you.

You can explore different sides of yourself with different people.

Each friendship or friend group lets you develop a different part of your personality and explore who you can be.

3. The freedom to be yourself:

When you're popular, you need to maintain an image.
When you're connected, you get to expand who you are

Think about it this way, would it be better to know 5 NBA players or

• 1 VC Partner
• 1 NBA player
• 1 Hollywood director
• 1 Michelin-starred chef
• 1 stadium-filling musician

That's the power of weak links.