I love my tablet and I'm glad I decided to buy it; however, drawing with a tablet is quite different then drawing on paper. Having a drawing tablet will help in performing specific tasks within Photoshop but it wont make you a better artist.

If you don't have one, get your self a scanner and scan in drawings you've done first on paper. Then using either a drawing tablet or your pen tool, trace your drawing using multiple layers so if you need to make changes you can do so to specific areas rather then the entire piece. I find a lot of people who are afraid to use the pen tool in Photoshop but don't be. It's a great tool that once you've familiarized yourself with its uses can be very effective in many design and art projects.

Another suggestion is to look at what others are doing. Join a number of art community sites; you can find excellent tutorials and inspiration at these sites.

When doing tutorials, don't always follow the tutorial step for step where you end up creating the exact piece that's in the tutorial but rather follow the techniques being taught in the tutorial but apply them to your own design or art piece. Doing this well help teach you technique which is more important then how to digitally paint a dragon or what ever the tutorial is about. It will also help teach you to think for yourself and your skills will improve a lot faster.

Like everyone else is saying, practice and practice some more. If you're just starting out don't over-exceed your ability's by trying to take on a complex project, you'll most likely just end up stomping your confidence into the ground. Start off slow with smaller things and work your way up.

One last thing, always finish what you start. Many people, especially those just getting started, will give up half way threw because things aren't turning out how they see them in their head. You need to push through to the end and you will probably be surprised at what you end up creating. Sometimes it's exactly what you set out to do and other times it completely different but just as good if not better then what you planned. If you ask any experienced digital artist and traditional artist they will tell you that their pieces don't look all that great half way threw but that's not what matters.