So, here's my guitar story. Of course, we're really here for you and to start your guitar story. However, it would probably help you to know a bit about my background.
In the summer of 1994, this young punk with a funky colored guitar popped onto my TV for the first time. The song was Basket Case, the band was Green Day, and the video was all over MTV. I was instantly hooked. Every time the video would come on, I jumped up and started to mimic Billie Joe's guitar playing. Being right handed, I later discovered that mirroring what I saw was not entirely accurate, and I would have to hold a real guitar the opposite way from my air guitar. But hey, that's how you learn! So, I guess you could say Billie Joe was my first guitar teacher (thanks, Billie!).
I knew from that moment that I needed to learn guitar. I got my first one the next spring for my 10th birthday—a glossy black Yamaha acoustic. I started lessons that fall, and then received my first electric guitar (a black and white Ibanez) the next year when I turned 11. Along with a boxy Peavey amp, I was finally able to sound just like my punk rock hero (well, I thought it sounded just like him). I went to my weekly lessons, barely fumbled my way through the sheet music, and learned a variety of other popular (and more acoustic-friendly) songs of the time. Hootie and the Blowfish, Everclear, Third Eye Blind, and of course Oasis (anyway, here's Wonderwall...) were some of the earliest bands I remember learning. But! When I went home, I would plug in my Ibanez, turn the distortion as high as I could, and chug away at every power chord on Dookie. Over. And over. And over. And OVER again. I eventually discovered ska music, and threw in some Reel Big Fish. You know, for variety...
So, why did I tell you this overly nostalgic and incredibly 90s tale? It wasn't just to tell you how great my childhood was, or how the music was better back then. It was, but that's not the point. The point is, this is where I started, just like you are starting now. And at times, I messed up and made mistakes. I didn't always listen to my teachers. I wasn't perfect. But the one constant through it all: I was having fun! In fact, I was having a blast. And in the end, that helped me learn and grow and move past my mistakes. It also took time. And repetition. But if you find something about guitar, or music in general, that you really, really love, the repetition will come easy.
You do have the time. Don't let your mind play tricks on you. Let yourself have fun, and it will all keep adding up...