That's why every teacher I have ever listened to always says, "Make practice enjoyable, interesting. Otherwise you won't keep doing it."
Seen Steve Via play at a small venue here is Baton Rouge. Man.. that dude can flat out play what ever he wants. So effortlessly. John Petrucci is a great player too. Seen him several times and witness what he can do. To say his music is without emotion is overlooking the obvious, (to me anyway). Both of these guys practice, a lot! I have taken lessons from both through magazine articles. And have learned a lot from both. From Joe Satriani also. Great teacher btw. But not a really big fan of his stuff.
I remember playing out a lot and practicing all the time just to keep up with the other bands. And I still wasn't near as good as many of the players down here in New Orleans and on Bourbon Street. But many times, many times, people I didn't even know came up to me during a break or after a show and told me how good I was and that they enjoyed it. That made it all worth it. So I kept trying to be the best I could be.
And that's where I am today. Still trying to be the best I can be. And I'm still not the fastest, or most technical, or most emotional guitarist, compared to others. But I don't play for them, I play for those who will enjoy it. And one of those people is me!