You're welcome.
I can't believe I forgot to tell you the first ingredient in every single thing you ever cook!
Music!
Put on something that fills you, before you start. Make a playlist over the years that has all the music with that ungh. Anything that gets you in the belly, the booty, the spirit. It'll make your food taste better.

And since I'm here again, round two:

Taste throughout. Know what your food tastes like at different times throughout the process. Know what each part tastes like. Recipes are a framework, not finishing work.

It will not taste the same halfway through. The first few times you may end up adding too much of something when really you should have just waited for the flavor to blossom. But, you'll learn how flavors change depending on your time and temperature, and you'll develop the ability to know an hour ahead of time when something needs to change. It's worth it, even if you don't add things, only taste and learn.

Fresh ground black pepper, and white pepper are so much better than pre-ground. Buy two grinders, one for each.

Don't leave your flavor behind! Brown your meat and veg in the same container you will be making your food or a sauce or something in. That gradu, the oil and pieces of carmalized fat left on a pan, are unarguably the best part of your meal. If you don't cook the rest of the meal in that pan, or make a sauce in that pan from those bits, deglaze that pan and pour the liquid into your main pot.

Cookbooks are mostly shit, but a few are indispensable. Two ones you should certainly own are "Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen" and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine" by John Folse. Even if you don't like Cajun/Creole food (what?!?) you can learn general ideas on how to approach the art of cooking, and change the spices to your liking.

If those are right up your alley for flavor, grab "Talk About Good (from Lafayette)", "River Road Recipes" (from Baton Rouge), and "Cooking Up a Storm" (from New Orleans).

Above all else, have fun, be creative, and follow weird ideas to see what happens.