DGS wrote:

At this point I don't know what to do. I've got the money, and deep
down for years I've wanted to do this. But I know that I can't
continue to be that nervous and continue my lessons. It simply can't
be good for my ability to make decisions in the air and I know that
scarier things like stalling and landing are coming up.

Look... it sounds like you have the strong desire, the intelligence
and the resources to make this happen. Sometimes intelligent people
can be so introspective that they can easily get a case of nerves.
At least try it again... perhaps choose a nice smooth calm day
so you can just concentrate on the feel of the airplane. What you
are feeling is really not at all uncommon in early flight training.

Many people (actually myself included) may think their 'natural'
flying talents are more prolific than they actually are, especially
those that may have spent a lot of time flying sims. Sims are
really not much at all like flying and can give you a false sense
of your abilities... then set you up for a let down when you try
flying a real airplane. They *can* be useful for practicing
certain instrument skills but thats really about it.

On the other hand...I also don't know about the instructor. He wasn't
overly helpful in combatting my nerves, and I have a feeling that the
right words of encouragment, or for that matter the occasional
instruction or "you're doing fine" maybe would have helped. In a lot
of ways I felt like he kind of just threw me out there before I was
ready mentally...I don't know.

The instructor is of course a key part of the equation. Sometimes
its easy to get complacent and not realize how nervous a first time
student can be. There needs to be a good match of personalities too,
but the instructor is supposed to be able to adjust to any student
(not always an easy thing to do at times, I can tell you firsthand).
That not withstanding, you do have to feel good about the CFI you
are training with so try another one. From what you said, it sounds
like the CFI you flew with was not very astute in terms of his
people skills.

Any feedback or experiences anyone can share? At this point I'm
really torn about trying again, while on the other hand still not
necessarily ready to back down from the challenge. Does this get
better? Or worse?

Do not give up on something you want to accomplish. If you give
up on something before you have even started you will anguish
over it for a long time and that's not good either. It DOES
get better and as your skills improve and your accomplishments
and flying time grow you will build a sense of confidence for
doing the things that require skill and knowledge.

You could go back are discuss this with the guy you flew with...
let him know what you told us... if he's a good guy he'll
start over and work with you. You may both end up having a
whole new respect for each other. Of course you can also
talk to another CFI and set up another intro flight. Its
your training and your money so you should feel good about
the guys you fly with.