No seduction in this story; it's all self-improvement.

I practice martial arts. Last night before bed, I set two goals: to work on a particular technique so as to sharpen it; and to win a round of sparring with a particular team mate. I took a spectacular step toward the first goal against a team mate who's more skilled than me that caught the attention of the academy. The sense that my stock rose, and that I became more integrated with the group was palpable. That it happened on a day of celebration at the academy for bonus synergy is just lucky timing.

Point is, set some specific, concrete goals for yourself and work toward achieving them.