If you want to learn any instrument, it has to be fun. Sure, there's going to be rote memorization, mechanical finger positioning drilling, finger strength building, even some boring music theory stuff that you've got to choke down to eventually become proficient at your instrument. A mistake that many beginners make though is to put that stuff up front. You just end up discouraged and give up.
First thing to do is come up with a list of twenty or so songs that you really like that have a guitar in them. Then figure out which ones are the simplest (fewest chords, slowest playing, etc.). Then go about learning to play along with a recording. You'll probably only get bits of the song at first. That's OK, as long as you're having fun playing those bits. This is a crucial stage . . . because you need to be enjoying the guitar enough to overlook the uncomfortable mechanical part (building callouses and hand strength) of learning to play. You need to play an awful lot before things start to become easy, and sound right every time you pick up the instrument.
Once you've got a few dozen riffs and basic chords under your belt you're officially a novice. Now it's time to slightly branch out into the rest of the world of playing:
- learn to play with other people
- learn those other chords, scales, modes, styles of music
- learn some wacky unusual guitar techniques (slide, rhythmically beating on your acoustic, two handed tapping, etc.)
- learn to play songs 100% perfectly all the way through
- learn to write your own music
The sky's the limit. Just keep it fun and you'll be fine.
