Best thing to do is follow some really simple tuts at first. The content you create in the tuts may be boring, but just use them until you get at least semi-confident with the tools, then just model something that really interests you, that's the only way you're going to see it through to the end, or however far it gets. So if you're anything like Acid (god help us) then model a cool car. Plenty of guys around here to help you out with that one!

Some basic tuts to start with sure, but after that, you need to start doing what really gets you going... what got you into this stuff in the first place. It won't matter how well you know Maya and it's tools, if there's no drive... nothing's going to happen.

As for good tuts, I don't know if your local library has the "introducing Maya" books, but they were great. Each one had a great step by step tutorial on modeling a semi-complex model using the most basic tools. I think one had a train and one a catapult. But there has probably been more since then.