Getting Better Slowly: I’m Giving Myself 20 Years to Learn Guitar

“Do what you’ve always wanted to do.”

We see this line on Instagram or TikTok all the time. It’s a nice sentiment, but have you ever actually done the thing you’ve always wanted to do?

I finally did in 2025. I started learning to play the guitar.

I had always been fascinated by the idea of playing, but the reality of being a complete beginner terrified me.

Years ago, I borrowed my father’s now-vintage Yamaki W300. I gave up almost instantly saying “My fingers can’t stand the pain,” or “My hands are too small for this.”

But then, one day, Mariya Takeuchi’s City Pop classic, “Genki wo Dashite (Cheer Up),” shuffled onto my Spotify.

That acoustic guitar intro hooked me. I knew I had to play this.

This time, I found a school, took a trial lesson, and signed up immediately.

My mantra was “If I’m terrible at it, I’ll just quit. Let’s see what happens.”

I decided the tuition would be worth it just to cross one item off my wish list — even if the only lesson I learned was that the guitar wasn’t for me.

Turned out, it was for me.

I don’t mean that I am an excellent guitar player.

Far from it. But for the first time, I felt like I could be one — maybe in twenty years.

I discovered the joy of slow learning. I found pleasure in simply moving my fingers and struggling with chords.

And then, there is that magical moment: when my fingers finally land in the right place, and the sound comes out clean.

In just one month, I learned to play “Sora mo Toberuhazu” (I Can Fly) by the Japanese band, Spitz.

I was amazed to see it has over 100 million views on YouTube. Scrolling through the comments, I found one that touched me: “I learned Japanese with this song 20 years ago. So good!”

So, here is my takeaway for you: If you have something you’ve always wanted to do, don’t worry about being “good” at it today. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. Give yourself twenty years.

I surprised myself. Maybe you will too.

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