Getting good isn't about placing oneself in a pecking order. It's an attitude that takes responsibility for the development of one's own skill at a game. The fact you hope to improve and take steps to do so shows you are committed to getting good.
It's simply the most perfect and fine formulation of the idea. And frankly, with how much whining and poor sportsmanship in defeat there is around Elite and any other online game with allowances for player conflict it's really all there is left to say.
I'd second this and add the importance of being able to set one's own definition of winning.
Do not allow others to define what winning means for you. A twitch monkey is going to define winning one way, a hauler another way, and an explorer yet another way. You may have your own definition
- don't allow people to construct imaginary ladders and then pin you to it. I advise this way because the PvP crowd, bless them, are full of rule makers that will corner you into defining winning in terms that suit their needs, not yours.
For example, for me winning has been a variety of things. First it was landing with FA off, and then moving onto dodging in and out of stations with FA off, and fighting NPCS and testing different weapons. If I set my idea of winning in the same way Morbad defines winning then I'd likely never get there and spend the next couple of years frustrated. Thankfully, with this game you can make substative contributions to your faction and never leave solo - which is pretty cool.
BTW, anytime you're near my group feel free to jump and and help us slaughter NPC pirates.
You always have an open invite.