QUOTE(Shogunronin @ Dec 23 2008, 05:03 AM)
If someone wanted to become a extremely talented magician how would he go about it?
When I meet one, I'll ask and let you know.
Learn and experiment.
So you've done "a few servitor rituals." OK, think about where you got those, what went into developing them, and how well you did them. Does the answer to any of those questions seem like the sort of thing you expect from a great magician?
There is no foolproof guard against failure. Any honest magician fails, but you are guaranteed to get nothing if you do nothing. For the moment, forget about whatever ideas you have and pick something from someone else you consider reputable. Anything! Maybe even several different things. But abandon your ideas about how it should work and how you could do it better, and just follow the formulae. Perform spells, rituals, or whatever it is that appeals to you, but make an effort to do it right and to do it with some diligence.
You cannot ask "What can I write that will make me a great writer?" or "What can I paint that will make me a great artist?" You pick something, pick a method of execution, and perform it to the best of your ability.