Your Native Language Is Proof You Can Master Anything

If you ever need direct evidence that practice + feedback makes perfect, and that working on or studying one thing for a long time will make you proficient in it, simply look at your ability to speak your native language.

You have spoken it for so long, and still learn a bit more everyday (from feedback), even if you don't realize it. You've gotten so good at your language, that when someone asks you a question, you no longer need to think about how to put the words together to respond, or how to use proper grammar or tenses; it has simply become an instinct. You can do the same for anything else, whether it be a programming language, business skills, or politics. Long-term proper practice with feedback (even if it comes from an LLM) builds patterns. These patterns eventually become automatic and effortless. That is how proficiency is built, and it's not nearly as hard as some think.

Of course, it still takes effort to consistently practice and seek feedback, and it's true that learning your native language has unique advantages (near-constant immersion from birth, zero pressure to be correct early on, etc) however, nonetheless, it shows that when you replicate the core ingredients (repetition, exposure, and feedback over time), proficiency in absolutely anything is possible.