What I Learnt from Driving

2023 has been a year of growth and new beginnings for me.

Earlier this year, I learnt to drive a car, after putting it off for the longest time. There were a lot of apprehensions and self-doubt within me that led me to procrastinate from learning this essential life skill.

And I finally went ahead and enrolled myself to a driving school.

It may not seem like a big deal for most people, but to me, it was. And yes, I learnt to drive and got my licence as well. And today, I can feel the confidence building up slowly but surely. In fact, driving is fun to me now.

Learning to drive was not just learning the skill in itself, it has helped me know way beyond that. This blog post is all about the lessons I have learned while learning to drive.

1. Patience is key. It goes without saying, that driving, especially on busy roads and congested traffic requires a lot of patience. Nothing can be achieved by being restless and irritated. Everything goes at its own pace, and so should you.
2. Be wary and trust your instincts. We can never gauge what a fellow driver might do at the next turn. Always tread with caution and have razor-sharp instincts.
3. Keep calm. Easier said than done, of course. But nothing really is achieved from having road rage. In fact, I have begun to realise that driving is a LOT like meditation. Nothing can be gained from panicking.
4. Halt and proceed. When in doubt, always stop. Take a breather. And proceed. You won’t lose anything.
5. People will always judge. There will always be instances where you will be judged for how you drive. But does it matter? What truly matters is that you drive responsibly and enjoy the journey.
6. Let people overtake you. We will encounter so many people who have the itch to overtake us and keep honking and pestering. It’s alright. Do not get intimidated by their crass behaviour. Let them go past. This is not a competition.
7. Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable. But take them as an opportunity to learn and strive not to repeat them again.
8. Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. We see this sentence in all the side mirrors of our vehicles. Move ahead at your pace, enjoy the journey, but also keep an eye on what’s behind us.
9. Be true to yourself. You have nothing to prove to fellow drivers. You do not have to flex your skills. Just listen to yourself and move forward.
10. Better late than never. It’s okay if you reach your destination late. You aren’t going to get any trophy for speeding up.

And a bonus lesson: there is no “right” age to learn anything new. In all this, there has been one person who learnt to drive along with me: my mother. Age doesn’t matter as long as you want to learn and are determined. Sky is the limit!

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