Progress does not come spontaneously. It is earned, and earned hard.
My journey as a professional violinist and painter did not just “happen.” There was much rumination and painstaking care in the process that molded me into who I am today. The key is to always try to find fault with the self, not in a negative way, of course, but in a positive, constructive manner. This is not harmful self-shaming or excessive self-doubt. It is reflective, limit-challenging desire manifesting itself through noticeable improvements. And it slows or stops somewhat once you are able to tell objectively how good you are in both absolute and relative terms.