Put Down The Duckie, Or, Everything I Ever Needed To Know About Poker I Learned On Sesame Street

"You'll never find the skill you seek until you pay your dues."

If you want to be a great poker player, you're going to have to make sacrifices. You're going to have to get out of your comfort zone. You're going to have to shed habits and circumstances that are soothing and reliable, but are holding you back. You're going to have to identify things that work great for you in your life, but are leaks and impediments at the poker table. And once you figure out what those things are, you are going to have to ruthlessly eliminate them from your game.

"You know, I really love my duckie, I can't bear to part with him!"
"You don't have to lose your duck. You can pick it up when you're finished!"

[Tip o' the hat to a certain grumpy player who certainly knows how to let go of the squeaky toy, when necessary.]