Business is a game. A neverending, ever evolving, puzzle.

It’s the real world.

You have to be part chess player, part boxer, part charmer, part savage.

It’s not a choreographed dance. It’s not karate. It’s more akin to a street fight.

Part of the reason I love business is that it is a macrochasm (not microchasm) to how life works.

You deal with all sorts of people, doing all sorts of things.

Some good, some bad, some deceptive, some naive.

You get to really, really learn about yourself and your weaknesses get exposed very quickly.

The feedback cycle is not for the faint of heart.

The punches are real. This is not a punching bag.

It lets you know if you’re too self-centered, or too altruistic (which is many times self-centered when you get down to it).

It’s a harsh environment, whether you’re in a Fortune 500 C-level position, or a bootstrapped founder, different problems, same types of exposure.

You risk reputation, financial loss, probably some negative emotions along with them.

Here’s what that exposes.

It exposes the players of the game with no plan, no certainty and an outer locus of control.

It exposes vague thinking.

It exposes bad assumptions.

It exposes naivete and forces you to face the person in the mirror.

On the flip side, it rewards clear thinking.

It rewards good assumptions.

It’s not fully black and white, but you can argue that it’s pretty close.

So the lessons that you learn in business are gorgeous because they retrospectively apply to most of your life.

In sales, they say if you’re talking you’re losing.

In negotiation, they say don’t justify.

And strangely enough, the worst sales people can’t stop talking.

The worst negotiators think it’s all about them and getting their say out.

But here’s the weird part.

They feel compelled to do that.

To talk and talk. To spit it out before everyone has taken a seat.

And so here’s the thing... the lesson.

The compulsion to “explain yourself”... to “justify yourself”, to explain the inside jokes - that all comes from lack of exposure to the real world.

The more you expose yourself to the real world.

Take real risks.

Put real money on the line.

Risk the rejection.

Risk failure.

Risk looking your fears in the face, and what you’ll find is that:

Fear is a mile wide and an inch deep.

You face that enough times, your heart rate doesn’t go up like it used to.

You don’t get bothered by the same bullshit that used to dominate your mind.

You’ve been sued, you’ve sued, you’ve been punched in the face, and you’re a bit over all the hype.

That’s why they say that “vigilance” runs up the chain of command.

The lower on the totem pole you are, the more reactive you are.

And the way to “climb” the totem pole is to put yourself out there.

Sharpen your thinking.

Take action.

Review the feedback.

Rinse and fucking repeat.

Be great.