Ooooo, good thread.

That "don't pick like a p*ssy" stuff is good advice, which I myself have received. I can't help it though, I'm just such a gentle soul.

I guess the best advice I ever got (and actually used) is if you're having trouble playing something and practice isn't improving it, have a sit down and carefully examine what you're doing. If you're having that much trouble with it, you're probably doing it in an unnecessarily difficult way. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have tried to do some crazy 7-fret stretch, only to be told that the same note can be played on the string above with minimal effort.