I am 50 years old and have tried learning to play the guitar many times and have only ended up giving up. Part of my issue has been to try to do everything right at the same time...not look...not miss the string...etc., in the end I have gotten frustrated; so the advise is very encouraging.

In the tutorial people were encouraged to start the exercise and only use the 4th finger (pinky) if one was "not scared" or one wanted to take the practice to another level. Is it a good idea to leave out the 4th finger now and pursue it later, after the first three fingers are good to go? or should I try and make it work with my 4th finger as well??

At this point...it's impossible for me to use my 4th finger without taking the other fingers off the frets :(