In whatever you do, especially in a skill you wish to improve upon, you need three things:

1) Someone better than you. A mentor or a coach who challenges and inspires you to learn efficiently and desire the most out of yourself. Watch what they do. Listen to what they say. Spend time with these people and you will slowly accumulate their skills.

2) Someone of equal ability. A friend, teammate, coworker, rival…who is on the same level as you. Don’t improve merely to become better than them, but learn to love and bond over the growth process as you see this person and yourself advancing. Push each other. Win win.

3) Someone less skilled than you. So you may be a mentor for someone else. This gives you an opportunity to take all the lessons and hardships you have endured and pay it forward. When you teach something that you’ve learned, you get to learn it twice. Articulating your knowledge in a clear and concise way is the true test of how well you know what you’re doing. Also (on a more cynical note), it’s nice to get a confidence boost by seeing you’re not the worst at something. By seeing people who aren’t as proficient as you, it reminds you that you have improved, as long as it’s balanced out by the humility of “But I still have so much to learn.”

Balance these three things. Be inspired by each. They will help you climb the mountain.