One thing to add: yes, it's great to know that every "no" brings you that much closer to a yes.
In general, LOA terms, try to think more generally about what you do want. If you're asking a friend to do something with you, don't think "I really hope she says yes, but if she doesn't, I guess I'll have to ask somebody else," think, "There's this activity I'm really looking forward to, and it would be great if I had the opportunity to do it with someone who was as excited about it as I was."
If you're anything like me
, that's what you REALLY want ...you want to go have fun in a certain setting doing something enjoyable with someone else who is enjoying it to. Does it matter whether that person is your best friend, a casual acquaintance, or someone you randomly meet along the way?
And really, to take that one step farther, what you want is simply to enjoy something. For instance, I love certain kinds of classical music. Among my friends, that makes me unique, and I haven't found a lot of fellow concertgoers, especially ones who would want to join me multiple times per week. If it's something you can do alone, does it really matter if someone joins you? Your goal is to do something fun, and when you ask someone to do it with you, don't think of it as "I hope they say yes because then I'll have more fun," think: "I'm going to have a great time; I hope so-and-so wants to join me because I want them to enjoy themselves just as much as I will." In other words, their decision has more to do with THEM than it does with you.
I'll admit, though, a lot of this is easier said than done, which sounds like exactly where you're at. Anyway, hope it helps.