Patients

[raaul]

That really is one of the major keys to success in tournaments, at least I think it is.
I know you want to play cards, that`s why you are there. But playing poor cards because you are bored will probably damage your stack, it may even get you knocked out of the tournament. Remember every chip you waste on a marginal hand could be worth 2 or 3 times as much if you hold onto it and hit a big hand later.
When you are a beginner you are better off sticking to group 1 / group 2 hands and playing them aggressively. You probably won`t win many, if any tourneys with your beginning strategy, but you will get deep into the field most of the time. If you are playing mainly freerolls getting into the later stages will put you up against the better players, and you can watch and learn from them. Then as you get a better understanding of the game you can start to expand the range of hands you play.
I`m not speaking as an expert here, because I`m a bit of a puppy myself. I`ve only been playing for 6 months, but I think I`ve done pretty well in that time. This is the strategy I began with and if it has worked for me, it should work for you.
Good Luck at the tables.

[leahbeah]

That is a very good point for poker as well as for life. I am new with playing cards to I appreciate the advice!