I do more than a few things at a novice/amateur level, and getting good at them requires iteration. Think of it as a compounding function. If you are doing some

I do more than a few things at a novice/amateur level, and getting good at them requires iteration. Think of it as a compounding function. If you are doing something less than 3x a week, you probably aren't improving. The other thing is, hire an instructor. Anything worthwhile means you are going to be embarassingly bad at it for several years, so don't substitute buying expensive gear for spending time, it's symbolic, and it doesn't make you into the thing you are trying to represent. You can do something just on weekends for fun, but that's not enough to improve. While it's unlikely anyone will pay me much for my personal skills, the difference is they couldn't pay to develop those skills with all the money in the world without putting in the time. Sure, someone of independent means can afford more time, but I make time, so it often nets out. There's no royal road, and so when I meet very successful people from other domains, I can respect what they've accomplished without being intimidated at all, because I know what it takes to be good too. An olympic medalist once observed to me that he felt he had more in common with people who had worked to achieve at an excellence and elite level than people who did his chosen sport. Most successful people also have intense personal pursuits because the side effect of discipline it imposes on their time is a significant factor in their success.