Practice. Fire up Photoshop, and paste in a bunch of designs that are well done. Start picking out individual elements, and then recreate them from scratch. You'll constantly be asking yourself why your redesign comes short, and through this, you'll begin to understand the subtle differences that make a great design.
I've never read a book on web design in my life, and I've kicked out some award winning layouts. The trick, don't stop refining the design, and don't be afraid to take a step back. The only time the design stops improving is when you stop working on it. Continue to refine, and you'll look back tomorrow, and laugh at the layout you once thought was acceptable. Fast forward another day, and you'll do the same. Have patience. Although great designs might look simple, realize they've gone through an endless number of revisions to reach that point.
Well, he does make a good point. The original post is about extremely mundane situations. Everyone not getting excited about your startup, people questioning whether or not you'll stick with cycling and your new diet? These are the hardships of life? Seriously? Sorry, I don't mean to sound rude, but the original poster needs some real world experience, and the ability to understand the commitments that come in life, before criticizing people for working the same job and living in a fish tank. We know the way out of the tank, but unlike the original poster, we know why we need to stay at times.
True, but it's amazing what some people in the low impact zone can actually do. One example that comes to mind is 'will it blend?'. They sell blenders, not very exciting, but everyone seems to know that phrase. Their YouTube videos pull in millions of views, and they're just tossing random gadgets in their blender. It emphasizes the quality of their product, and it gets people excited and linking to the content. They took a kitchen appliance and turned it into an internet sensation. Inspiring.