I really think this captures it - you need to be the driving force if you're the one who feels like you want to make friends. Do you ever find yourself thinking "why does it always have to be me inviting/organizing events"? Meaning, it can be demoralizing to put in that effort and feel like it's not "sticking" in the sense of real friendships coming out of it, or at least invites back.

But on a more positive note, from everything I've done I also think this kind of positive, magnet-like attitude is the way to go. It's almost like you have to go cross ways with 500 people in order to squeeze out 1 or 2 friends, so you need to speed up that process. Is that how you feel?