My advise is a little different. Eat out. That is, eat at sit down restaurants that serve real food, not fast food. Select meals with veggies, meats, and a desert. Find out how good real food can taste. Then, you are prepared to start cooking.
After that, the advise given in previous posts is very good. My youngest daughter started with soups. Her soups consisted of a small amount of some kind of meat, chopped and stir-fried, to which she would add various cans of veggies. She learned how to put flavors together that were complimentary, and then started adding other veggies such as diced potatoes, carrots, celery, etc. I had her learn to recognize the herbs and spices in my pantry, and then learn to pick them out of foods that I prepared for meals. She became adept at recognizing flavors in foods, and then had some idea of how to make similar dishes of her own, using her own flavorings.
My other children became wonderful cooks after they moved out of the house, experimenting with flavors, textures, and techniques. Each of them have slightly different preferences as to their favorite flavor profiles. But each of them are very creative, and well versed in technique. They can all cook for me anytime.
As you cook things, your knowledge will build. And when you don't know the proper technique for preparing what you want, we are here to help. We've all been there, and have all had success and failure in our culinary adventures. The good new is, unlike people like me, who always had to reinvent the wheel, You don't have to suffer those same mistakes, because you can use us as a resource.
The most important aspects to successful cooking are, IMO, the willingness to try new things, be it foods that are unknown to you, or cooking techniques. After that, you need to love what you are doing, that is, treat cooking as a hobby, a good time where you learn to created new, or favorite dishes, and then get to enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of your work. And then, take pride in what you are doing, with the knowledge that whether you are preparing something for yourself, or for friends, of family, you are giving your best.
With your desire to learn, and a willingness to ask questions, you will learn quickly, and be rewarded with healthy, and great tasting meals.
Welcome to DC.
Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North