When you play, there are many different things going on. At least there should be!

Most people think of a scale, an arpeggio or some sort of pattern to choose notes from. Then usually they will think of a rhythmic phrase for their chosen notes. These are two important things but don't leave out some other very important ideas.

1. Pitch (Vibrato, Bending, Sliding) - After selecting a note to play, see if adding one or more of these elements will help to to get your musical point across. These could be subtle or exaggerated.

2. Timbre - This is the sound quality or tone of the note. Would it sound better if you plucked over the neck or near the bridge? Fingers, thumb or pick? Maybe a harmonic or using a different pick up combination than your usual one.

3. Dynamics (Loud & Quiet) - This one is often over looked. If you start on 10, there's no room to build (unless you're in Spinal Tap). Try starting a one octave scale playing as quiet as you can. Make each note get louder so that the last note of the scale is as loud as you can get it. The notes should increase the same amount in volume. When you have that down, try playing the scale from loud to quiet.

4. Rest - Don't play! Let the music breath. Try not playing on the first down beat of a measure. It gets people's attention.

5. Intensity - Play with conviction and passion! This doesn't necessarily mean playing loud and aggressive. Try to communicate emotion through your music not just notes.

Write these ideas down and look them over while you play. Check to see if you are using them consistently.

All these things are like the legs of a table the more you have, the more sturdy the table will be. You can even remove a couple and the table will still stand up. So will your playing.
me if you can come up with any other ideas and I will add them to the list.