GA,
First of all, good luck to you, I genuinely wish you the best.
I have been a professional Pilot for nearly 28 years now and can say without a doubt I would never have wanted to do anything else.
If you are really sure this is what you want I think one of the most important attributes in this industry is persistence, just keep plugging away, month after month, year after year.
This applies to going after jobs, and, once you have a good one give your employer your very best (while taking the best possible care of your health)
Do your utmost to get hired at the best possible operator you can find, not so important in the early jobs but vital in the long term career ones. They are worth the wait.
Your most important priority MUST always be taking care of your health.Without that you are out of the game.