From the "Blog comments that became posts that I could've used 10 years ago" file:

The commenter Onjibonrenat, on my post How to Draw an Owl, adds a few more steps to the process of achieving mastery:
  1. Start
  2. Keep going.
  3. You think you're starting to get the hang of it.
  4. You see someone else's work and feel undeniable misery.
  5. Keep going.

...


-- Ben Casnocha

Do yourself a favor and read through the whole list.  It'll only take a minute, and either give you the boost you need to keep going, or -- as it did for me -- help you realize how far you've already come (and how far you still have to go).

Update: YIKES... forgot the link!  Sorry Ben!

http://ben.casnocha.com/2010/11/the-30-steps-to-mastery.html