There are very few who don’t like driving, especially on a long trip with a stretch of road in front of them to explore. I learned one of the biggest lessons of my life while driving on my favourite route, NH49.
At first, I would get frustrated when someone was in front of me on the road. I felt like my freedom was being curtailed – my freedom to drive as I liked. So, I would overtake them and feel the long, empty stretch of road again. But after a few minutes, I would see another car traveling in front of me, and the cycle would repeat itself.
This was my routine until one day, while I was driving, I had an epiphany. I realized that:
- Driving and living our life is the same. We are in control of our adult life 99% of the time.
- There will always be someone who is ahead of you – on the road and in life. An empty stretch of road or life without obstacles is a myth.
- You are just seeing the car ahead of you, but not thinking why they are ahead – they might have started early or they might have better skills. Know that they should have worked hard to be ahead of you.
- There is no point in competing with the car in front because once you cross them, you will have 1000 cars in front of you. Know when to compete and when not to.
- You are only seeing the car in front of you, not what’s happening in the car. Likewise, you just see their position and not what they are going through. So, don’t judge before you know the facts.
- There will always be someone behind you wondering how did you move ahead. So be thankful for your position.
- Be aware of the car in front of you. By that, you can avoid mistakes (potholes) they didn’t. It’s always important to learn from someone ahead of you. It makes your journey easy.
- Take care of your car (life). You can’t expect it to perform well if you don’t take measures to make it good. It takes effort to have a great life.
- Take care of people traveling with you. Even when you are stuck, they will push your car forward. Family and friends will push you forward in life when you pull them with you when you’re doing good.
- Enjoy the journey. As you drive through life, remember to appreciate the scenery, enjoy the ride, and stop to smell the flowers along the way.
I hope this comparison changes your view on driving and life, as it did for me. Lets try to be more present and concentrate on ourself and our close ones, rather than a stranger on the road
