Aren't obsessions good...

When I first started I thought of it as something neat to do. As time passed, though, it become a bit of an obsession. In some ways it's like golf -- it can be frustrating at times but what keeps you coming back is that amazing shot you made. Same thing applies here -- looking at a target, correctly estimating the distance and wind, holding off the target several inches to account for the wind, and then pulling the trigger and a 1/2 second later seeing the target fall through your scope is such an exhilaration. But on the days that you might not be shooting well it then becomes rewarding in other ways -- poking fun at your friends, cheering them on and just having fun.
Within a single sport you have the challenge of :

• Estimating the distance and wind
• Making sure your body, mind and equipment are at their peak performance
• Accurately shoot standing
• Accurately shoot kneeling

And then to execute the shot that you just planned (x 60). There is a LOT of room for error in what we do. And if I'm not completely focused I might aim at the wrong point on my scope, incorrectly judge the wind, not hear that the wind just went silent or even forget to load a pellet (ARGH!). And it might even be a physical thing. If I'm shooting and don't pay attention to my body and get overly hungry or need to go to the bathroom it can affect my shooting.
Keeping all of these factors in mind as you go through the lanes can be a tough thing to do and it's what keeps me coming back. I might make a technical error, which I can easily rectify by making sure to pay better attention but if I misjudge the wind I can only hope to correct with more experience.
When I first started I might have aimed for 50%, and counted hits. Now, as I've gotten better, I aim for 85-90% and count misses. Once you've started counting your misses you know you've made a good amount of progress.
Up to this point I haven't gotten that elusive "perfect match" -- no misses -- but I continue to try. I have gotten high-score for a match, which I am very proud of, as it means that on that particular day I was able to shoot better than 20 of my peers. I have placed at many local monthly matches but not at the larger matches.
Now I also spend time trying to get other people addicted to this wonderful sport by putting on monthly matches. Hopefully we'll be working with 4-H to integrate field target into their shooting sports curriculum in the near future.
Just make sure that in the end your obsession doesn't take over your life or that your obsession becomes your biggest frustration. Field target should be fun -- if it isn't then you need to figure out what will make it fun.