Chess Openings

People who think they "suck at openings" usually just chop and change them too much. That was certainly me at one time.

Typically people will like the look of some opening, and give it a try. Maybe it goes well for a few games, but then in some game it goes really badly for them. The opponent does something they haven't seen before and they just can't see any decent response. Then they decide that the opening itself is no good, or at least not right for them, and switch to trying some other opening they hope will be the answer. But then the story repeats all over again.

The way out of this cycle is instead of changing system whenever you have a bad game or few with it, you do some homework to discover what you're doing wrong. Maybe review the game with the help of an engine, or look up the line in books or databases, or whatever.

Basically stop looking for the perfect opening that will magically always work for you, and gradually learn the wrinkles of whatever it is that you've decided to play.

could someone explain to me the difference between a system and an opening? Is a system an 'opening' with many different variations?

A system is basically a setup that can be played against almost any opening moves. This is in contrast to openings in which you vary your choices based on your opponent's reactions to your moves. Obviously, then, systems would be easier to learn.