I have recently began shooting much more as I have started to carry my camera with me pretty much everywhere I go. I did so because I began to realize that I wished I had my camera at a time that I didn't. Now that spring/summer is in full swing, there are plenty of things that can be photographed. Flowers, landscape, water sports, parades, people. I mention people since more of them are out and about as opposed to the colder months were most don't like to come out. I also recently read that to get better at photography I really should be out there shooting as much as possible.
Shooting more is great, but I would like to mention that you should also be shooting actively and not passively. Really think about it before pressing the shutter release. I guess you could go around taking photos and maybe get a handful of pretty good images. But if you put a little more thought into it, that is what separates the pros from the hobbyist or whatever you want to call them. Pros take the time to setup the image to get the "story" that they are trying to tell. But in order to get to that point, you do need to learn the fundamentals and that only comes with practice. So step 1, go out and shoot more. The rest will come naturally.
St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, LA
Guy with sandwich