A friend asked me the other day: “How can I improve my public speaking quickly?”  I responded:  “The same way you get good at anything else, expose yourself to the ideal environment.”

You see, it’s all about exposure. Sure the work matters greatly, but how do you build momentum and give yourself the best chance to follow through? You seek out and expose yourself to the ideal environment for that given discipline. You go to where the pros are and you make sure to stick around somehow.

Your subconscious brain is better at picking things up than your conscious brain is. Even with minimal work on your behalf you’re already absorbing and picking up the habits that this specific group of people have. All by exposing yourself to an ideal environment.

Exposure to the ideal elements is also an important factor.

If you’re an entrepreneur you have to expose yourself to risk. Business risk, relationship risk, any and all types of risk. You have to make risk a consistent part of your diet, you should become comfortable being uncomfortable.

Expose yourself to judgement. Whenever you’re bashed for work you’ve done that’s the price you pay. You’re “down in the arena taking punches instead of up in the stands as a spectator.”  Spectators never lose, but they never win either.

Expose yourself to different disciplines. If you live in a closed off world your ideas will be stifled as well.  You run the risk of becoming a big fish in a small pond. Without a broad view of the world you have no way of knowing whether you’re good at something or not.  This is what makes Olympic competition so engrossing. These people are the best in their country, but are they the best in the world?  Only exposure to other world-class talent can answer their question.