Dave Wirth
There is no end point that anyone can definitively say, "Now, I know how to play guitar." So why create one?
If there is no end point, no goal (except for maybe, "I'm going to try it out and see what happens"), all you have to do is be open to experiencing the process. It could be like discovering a vast meadow upon emerging from the woods, only to plunge back into the woods at the end of the meadow. It would seem that the best way to find the meadow is not to expect it. It's better not to, because learning can be tough on occasion.
Sometimes, we need goals to help us be accountable. Imagining a goal and passionately working to get there is good because we can measure ourselves. I think goal-setting is great if we are very confident with our abilities in an area of expertise. If programming comes easy to you, then it might be best to have the goal of getting a new app in the app store. It could motivate you.
However, I can't imagine goal-setting to be great for things you just want to experiment with.
If you were to start learning guitar from scratch tomorrow, wouldn't it be limiting to say that you only wanted to play like John Petrucci of Dream Theater when there are millions of great guitar players out there who are just as good as he is? Isn't it also going to be tough to keep on practicing with that giant looming over you? It would to me. The ruts that I would get in would be super frustrating.
Now, if you were to start learning guitar from scratch tomorrow, wouldn't it be delightful to eventually realize you have a talent for playing the leads of John Petrucci, and that you really enjoyed doing it?
Sometimes, it's more fun to be surprised. It's delightful.
