The invitation should remain warm after a few declines.

Two declines in a row can feel like a verdict, and the easy response is to stop asking and call it self-respect. Most declines are about calendars, energy, money or something private, and very few are about you. When an invitation cools after the second no, the other person feels it and gains a reason to stay away. Warmth held steady is what makes a third yes possible.

Think of someone you quietly stopped inviting. Ask again, plainly, with no note about how long it has been. Let the invitation carry no test inside it.