Learning To Drive A Car

A boy who received his learner’s permit is just starting to learn how to drive a car. His dad, his teacher, says, “The most important thing to keep in mind is to watch your speed. If you’re going the right speed you’ll be a good driver.”  The boy listens to the instructions and 5 minutes later rear ends the car in front of him because he was so focused at looking at the speed. Next his mom gets in the car to teach him. She says “Yes, your speed is important, but you also need to watch where you’re going. Make sure you stay between the lines and give yourself enough room behind the car in front of you.” So the boy starts driving and an hour in he runs out of gas.

I share this story because it represents two things. First, that there are often a lot of things we need to keep in mind when starting something new, and you can’t expect to be perfect at it. Which leads me to the second point - Eventually all of these little details become second nature. You become more capable and competent overall, and these different elements of the activity require less attention because you have a much better sense about them.

Don’t let a few mistakes make you want to give up. Everything is a process, it’s a practice. Eventually you’ll be on personal autopilot opening up more brain space to work on the next part of the skill that needs to be acquired.

You’re driving the car of your own life. You’re going to bump into some people. You’re going to run out of gas. But you’re also going to get better at managing those things every single day. Embrace being a learner and you’ll figure it out in no time!