How did you actually learn to swing trade, and how do I figure out if what I used to do was real or just luck

Looking for honest answers from people who are genuinely consistent, not selling anything.

Quick context on me: I trade long-only, real shares, no leverage or shorting (personal constraint), mostly daily charts on liquid large-caps, small account, full-time job so only a few hours a week. I’m in this for the skill, not quick income. I’ve placed trades on and off for a while but I never had a real system, I was mostly going on feel.

What I’m trying to learn from you:

1. How did you actually learn this? What did you study, in what order, and what turned out to be a waste of time? I’d rather copy a path that worked than rediscover it the hard way.

2. If you were starting over today with a full-time job and limited hours, what would you focus on first and what would you skip entirely?

3. How long before you knew you actually had a process versus just guessing, and what did that turning point look like?

4. This is the big one: for those of you who traded for a while without a real system, how did you go back and figure out what you were actually doing? Did you journal, export your trade history, review it? When you looked back, how did you tell whether you had any real edge or were just riding a strong market? What specifically did you look at?

I ask the last one because I’ve realized a good-looking run means nothing on its own if I never compared it to just holding the same stocks. Trying to be honest with myself about whether there was ever anything there, and build something repeatable from scratch if not.

Appreciate any real experience, especially the unglamorous parts.