Improving in any area of Torah and mitzvot is always beneficial. Sometimes people accept upon themselves to do something they weren't doing yet as a hakarat hatov, to thank Hashem for a blessing that He gave them. Sometimes it's because they have a great need and are hoping that in the zechut of what they accept, they will get what they need. Regardless of the reason, the main gain is always the mitzvah itself.
Even if we don't get what we're hoping for, that does not mean that Hashem did not accept our extra efforts. He cherishes every little improvement we make, and He will reward us eternally for each of them.
When we do see a direct response after accepting upon ourselves to improve, it gives us extra chizuk to continue improving. But we must know, if we continue improving without seeing results, that would make our avodah worth infinitely more.
A young woman sent in a story of how she continued with a kabalah although she wasn't seeing results. But little did she know, she really was seeing results. She began reading a book each night with a friend on emunah as a zechut to find their zivug. They hoped that by the time they finished the book, they would both be engaged. They finished in the middle of Elul, but they were both still in the same boat.
They did not get discouraged, and instead of stopping their kabalah, they decided to start another book on emunah. This time, they were hoping that by day 40, they would see some type of sign from Hashem.
As the 40th day was approaching, she got a call from the shadchan suggesting a wonderful boy. On day 40, she met the boy for the first time, and the shidduch progressed very smoothly. On the day she got engaged, the title of the chapter they were up to in the book on emunah they were reading was entitled, Yirmiyahu's Blessing. And amazingly, the boy she got engaged to is named Yirmiyahu.
The shadchan told her afterward that she first thought of this boy for her in the middle of Elul, right when they had finished that first book.
We never know which kabalah brings about which blessing, but we do know anything we accept upon ourselves to do is always an automatic success.
I read a story of a man who has two small apartments that he rents out in Bet Shemesh and uses the income he gets from them to pay the mortgage on his apartment in Yerushalayim.
One day, one of his renters left and the apartment remained vacant for months. He advertised a lot, but nobody responded. As every month passed, he was losing out on much needed income.
He was telling his mother one day about the predicament that he was in, and she told him that the same exact thing happened to her years before when she had an apartment for rent. Months went by with it remaining vacant until she decided to pledge the first month's rent to tzedaka. Within a few days, a renter came along.
This man decided to make the same pledge and, amazingly, within just a few days, he got the apartment rented. When his other tenant gave him a one-month notice, he didn't take any chances. He immediately made the same pledge again, and once again, he got a renter very quickly and didn't miss even one day of rent.
The kabalot that we take upon ourselves in Torah and mitzvot are always great. Sometimes we see immediate blessing coming from them, and sometimes we don't. The main gain is always the mitzvah itself.