So how does "this thing" work?
You also mentioned being hardworking, sociable, nice... is no guarantee to be successful.
Then what else is needed? I think newbies and those who are interested will like to hear from the experienced ones so that they will learn and consider.
Rather than always having this useless bickering back and forth -- one group will seem to over-trivialize what it takes to be a pro, and another group will say you don't know anything about turning pro, without elaborating anything much.
I think we need to deal with specifics for such posts to be useful.
You want specifics, here's some specifics to think about.
Minimum photographic skills:
Ability to take any shot under pressure that a client hires you to take. The shot will need to be of saleable quality and the client must feel that it meets their requirements for what ever purpose it is intended for. This means forget about "golden hours" and other advantages you may have as an amateur. If the client wants and is paying to have their precious whatever photographed at midday, midnight or any time in between you will be there and can deliver the goods.
Ability to interpret a clients often limited description of what they want, in to the image of their dreams. This is essential if you are not dealing with industry professionals and even with industry professionals there's plenty of "well you know, like the maddona shot" or like the shot in the paper last week etc... To deal with this one must have the perquisite abilities of extreme patience, understanding, communications skills and ESP often help.
Ability to push yourself to produce great images despite any handicap thrown at you such as weather, client induced issues, tiredness or simply not wanting to be there.
A thorough and I mean thorough knowledge and understanding of such essentals as exposure, compensation, perspective, composition and how to use them.
Knowing where to get the best prints done, in a timely and cost effective manner, where to source varous value addons such as quality framing, albums, archival materials etc.
Business knowledge:
This is the minimum you'll need.
A good working knowledge of your local taxation system and what you can and can't claim, depreciate or otherwise write off.
Marketing skills. Promotion is one of the most important skills you will need to succeed.
Accounting / Cost Management skills: Absolutely essential if you are to make a profit. This should be mandatory for anyone who's thinking of entering the industry. Controlling outgoings while maximising incomming monies means you'll earn a decent wage each week. If you have no head for business, hire someone who does!
Control GAS. Gear Aquisition Syndrome has probably killed more professional photographers than anything else. It's easy to rack up massive debts in professional photography by buying all the latest toys. Don't! A lens will last 8-10 years if serviced regularly and a body at least 5 years. Make the most of your gear and don't throw it overboard because the new Mk Vx967 Nikikwanonshinkiwhatsamajigger is 5% better on paper than the old model.
Be Realisitic in your setup. A massive studio with 2 million bucks worth of lighting looks cool but unless you have the clientelle to support it it's a millstone around your neck and the fastest way I know to financial hell I know of, next to GAS. Conversely a toilet sized studio will dismay all but the most budget minded clients. This leads us to the biggest secret of all...
Do your market research and find out the true state of the market before you jump in. Spend the time and money to really find out what's in the local waters before you jump in and become shark feed. It's that simple.
The above are by no means complete but are just a few of the literally hundreds of things you really do need to know before turning professional.