[ToySub1946]

My car has 57,000 miles on it and I'm still not consistently upshifting from 4th to 5th in the same manner.

We know that the default position of any shifter is spring loading to engage the 3rd and 4th gears from neutral, if we move the lever forward or aft.
Gotta get it out of that default the first thing, getting ready for that 5th gear. How is the entire operation accomplished...

Shall I strong arm it with my hand on top of shift knob ?

Shall I use a combination of palm of my hand and inside of my thumb, on sides of knob ?

Shall I do it entirely within areas of palm of my hand, on sides of knob ?

Not an easy task deciding which method works best.

If I have a passenger, are they noticing my sometimes awkward movements ?
It's only the 4th to 5th shift which is the odd one to manipulate.

I believe this may be what gman6974 was relating to.