No one else here or in /r/ITCareerQuestions is going to give you this advice. I'm an outlier and you can be, too. Ask anyone who downvotes this how much they've managed to increase their gross income in the past four (4) years. I'm at >1000%.
Practice thinking critically. If you don't know how to think critically, first learn. Then practice.
Cultivate an intellectual curiosity.

Find a subset within the industry generally to focus your intellectual curiosity and ability to think critically.
Seize opportunities to explore technologies within the context of that subset. Make your own where there aren't any (e.g. AWS free lab environment, your own personal sandbox).

Document anything clever or novel you accomplish in your sandbox.

Develop and master conceptual models and heuristics pertaining to the technologies present in your sandbox.

Share your work with others, get involved in the work others have shared (open source initiatives, etc.) and document anything noteworthy.

You can make it more complicated, but it's really that simple. When in doubt, follow the recipe.

Good luck!