Find a native speaker (or someone quite advanced) and hold short conversations with them. This will teach your pronunciation, comprehension, vocabulary, and prepare you for real-life situations. You will find, as in English also, Russians' conversations will differ from those of textbooks!

Don't fret, I've been studying Russian for YEARS, even at the college level, and half my family is from Ukraine, and I still struggle with it. It's a tough language!