I want to briefly touch upon a subject that many guitar players (and musicians in general) seem to have a mis-understanding of.
Often I hear people tell me that they want to take a lesson with me because they have reached a certain 'plateau' that they can't seem to get past. It sounds good, but it's unfortunately wrong.
In guitar playing there are no plateaus. We never arrive and stay at some flat, secure place.
Not for long, and certainly not over 24 hours.
This means that if you are not getting better, you are getting worse.
It's true. For example if you get pretty good at playing a particular scale and take 2 weeks off ... your ability will slide back from where you have left of when you put the guitar down.
Even a task like song-writing is a skill that must be practiced. Sure, there are people who write only one song and it becomes a hit, but this is an exception to the rule, kind of like winning the lottery. If you want to be wealthy, you have to constantly work on it. Becoming better at your instrument is very much like it.
This thought process was always very motivating to me throughout time. I always remembered that if I am not getting better - I'm getting worse. This stuck and kept me practicing through the years.
Hope this helps!
Metal Mike