A great teacher can inspire and enable you to develop as a creative, exciting player. Learn as many tunes as possible, from start to finish. It doesn't matter what style you like to play in, the more tunes you know, the easier it is to get a gig or kick ass on a jam session. And there's no excuse for not doing it-even if you're not at the point where you can learn tunes off the recording, you can avail yourself of the hundreds of transcription books out there. As soon as you learn something cool, apply it immediately to a real-life musical situation.
Many guitarists learn tons of licks that sound great when played in the practice room.
But the minute they get on stage, they have a hard time integrating this new material into their playing. Before you learn something new, you should have an idea where you could fit it in. Develop authority as a player. You have to get to the point where you feel as creatively comfortable in front of hundreds of people as you do in front of your sister and the dog. And the only way you can attain that authority is by putting in the time.