The problem with lusting after hardware is that it never stops. I know a guy who tests preproduction equipment for some major manufacturers. He showed up at a club meeting with a medium-format size digital sensor in a body just a little bigger than a conventional DSLR. The camera lens was also a preproduction unit made specifically for this camera. We saw some of the unprocessed RAW pics from this camera and I think the janitors pulled overtime that night wiping up the drool from the floor. So, someone always has bigger, better equipment. But I've also seen some shots from a P/S camera jpeg that is so good compositionally, that you know it's not the equipment, it's what you do with it.
One interesting technique that I picked up a few years ago requires you to pick one focal length, and then shoot at least a thousand shots only in that focal length. Everything - closeups, landscapes, action, portraits, you name it. Basic message is do it until you can see the picture you'll get even without bringing the eyepiece to your eye. After you got that internalized, you pick another focal length and repeat the exercise. By doing this, you force yourself to focus on the composition rather than the equipment.