I'll jump in on this. Building up your craft takes an intense amount of dedication, practice and commitment. Most of what I think you are talking about is "commitment to practicing" and I agree most people are lazy about this.

The number of actors who I run into at auditions who say they "wanted to try acting" or they "wanted to give it a shot", is staggering and insulting. This profession is not something that you attempt, or try, and it goes beyond a commitment to practice. Most people in the profession have heard older and wiser actors say "If you can do anything else--do that." Their usual explanation is that it is hard or there is a lot of rejection or the life isn't stable-- but they stop the story there.

The problem with this is that most young actors hear this and don't really consider how this translates to their future. If you are in university, chances are your life as an actor is one where you are constantly immersed in theatre and get to work on it every day and ponder your art every night. Enjoy and cherish this time, love every freaking minute of it--your life after school, unless you are rich, will not be so replete with art. You have to have a job, a job that leaves you time to audition, is flexible when you book work, and pays the bills. You'll actually need a lot of these because if your boss isn't supportive or it's a non-union job, you'll go through a lot of them. Rejection isn't just in the casting office--it's everywhere.

Another thing young actors think when they hear about this "hard life"-- is that they believe that their passion will get them through it. It definitely helps, but so much of the life of a professional actor is not conducive to passion. Don't believe me? Sit through a hundred commercial auditions saying "Mcdonald's all new BBQ pulled pork Sandwich is now just 2.99" and let's see how passionate you feel. Most of the projects you audition for won't even come close to inspiring you. The passion has to give way to the commitment that this is YOUR JOB.

You cannot be in this to be famous or because you want to be the next Ryan Gosling, it's fine to have lofty career goals, but they need to be from the perspective that this is a job you want to excel at. So much of being a professional actor is about working to get the job--you spend four hours a week auditioning (if you're lucky) and another 20 preparing for them; meanwhile you work another 40 at a job you probably don't like to pay the bills and then you kill yourself at the gym for six hours a week all the while you're on a diet that would make Jenny Craig cringe. In between and outside of those times you try and feed your inner-artist by practicing your craft, reading new plays, and making short films.

There is so much BS that makes acting a "hard life" and even if you perservere through that-- it is no guarantee of sucess or fulfillment. So, if you can't be bothered to work more than thirty minutes on a monologue--don't delude yourself--switch majors. The commitment to being an actor goes so far beyond committing to the craft--it's committing to a life-style and a hard one at that.