Hard Shift from 1st to 2nd

Well, I’m back. After many a trial and error, I am admitting defeat. I’ve searched the forum over and I’ve yet to find a fully informational and properly depicted throttle cable in operating condition (for those of us on the elementary scale of all things mechanical). I understand it’s subjective to the car (or I would assume it is), but is there a thread on here that details what exactly to look for in terms of feel and pressure on the pedal and on the linkage itself? Trying to avoid a mechanic due to the money situation. Thank you all again for helping!