how to improve a carving, practice , practice practice

hi folks, just a few words on how to improve your carvings, practice , practice, practice, that is the best advise i could give you. the past few days i been looking over the carving books i got at our local flea market, to my surprise a treasure i found, some wonderful books, at a fraction of the price of what they were worth and they are worth so much to me.... so i took a 1 x1 x 8 inch piece of basswood and started to practice on the things i thought i need to improve, so if you dealing with a area in woodcarving that seems a bit difficult dont shy away from it, pick up your knife and practice in those areas. eyes, nose, ears, lips, faces , the best way is just to keep at it, and please folks if it doesnt look like what you thought it would , do it again, dont quit, just keep going, keep at it, and please the most important thing is to enjoy the journey, happy and safe carving to you, arleen