If I could talk to me 10 years ago I would say:
Firstly,.. uh start sewing - you'll enjoy it. (I think I'm about 5 years in)
You'll encounter much healthier personalities in the arts/crafts than in your current career of IT...
Take that machine your dad bought you when you were 10 and get it serviced and get yourself trained! There's nothing (much) wrong with it, you two just don't know how to communicate with each other. Call it couples counseling.
Invest in your tools - buy quality which doesn't necessarily mean the newest or the most expensive - and maintain them. This is your sewing machine, your rotary cutters AND blades, rulers and scissors, etc. These will be with you (or should be) far longer than one project or hopefully any fabric you buy. There's no point being frustrated right out of a project (hobby, job, whatever) by having tools that aren't up to the job, tools that aren't in good shape and more often than not end up hurting you, or tools that reached their potential before you reach yours (a certain skil saw comes to mind here...).
A LOT of opinions are sold as fact in this industry. (think of your service center who says you should only use X brand of thread - which coincidentally is the only brand they sell, or the manufacturer's bobbins, etc.) If it works for you, go with it. Opinions of others are great but at the end, it has to "fit your hand" not theirs to work for you. Everyone is different. That's what keeps life so interesting. Also, some opinions/facts only serve to enhance someone's financial bottom line.
If you didn't like something you tried (I'm looking at you - paper piecing!), promise you'll revisit it in a year, two years, etc perhaps learning another method of doing it. If I had begun to learn to quilt by learning to paper piece, I wouldn't be a quilter today. The first experience was -that- bad. Nearly two years later, I just finished a simple Judy Niemeyer top and loved the process.
Crafting, Sewing and Quilting keeps you young and your mind healthy.
And because I'm finally "approaching" that age and realization: Time for you and you alone is not selfish!
Lastly - PAY ATTENTION! - Not only is it important to be engaged in what you're doing for full enjoyment - but some of your tools can bite faster than you can move your hands out of the way if you're day dreaming.