In this article I will explain how I learned that it is essential and important to be calm and relaxed.

A few years ago I went through a (practical) driving test. That meant a lot to me so I remember almost everything. The first time I went through driving test I woke up early in the morning. When I woke up I was a little upset…

And then we started, I entered the car, turned it on (I started the car) all went ok, until I made one little mistake… At this point, i’m a little scared…

Soon there was another mistake and it was over for that time… I thought to myself, OK, it is only the first time. I did not succeed this time, but I will next time.

The second time was even worse. I was very nervous… It was going through my head, that it’s ok for someone to to fail once, but I will succeed this time… everything will be ok. And again I failed… Driving instructor told me that he could not recognize me, I drive very well, when I was with him… But now, he could see by my behavior that I’m nervous.

The third time… I tried to laugh, talking very much with people who are waiting with me on the exam. Maybe I looked like someone in the mood, but… whole being was concentrated on that is the third time… “I can not afford not to succeed, what will others think, all people pass from the second time” … blah blah … I did not pass

The fourth time … I remember before taking driving test, in the morning, I entered the bakery, bought a pastry, and was so nervous that I could not eat. I just I threw the food. I do not remember everything, but it seems to me that this time I made a big mistake … I mean, I did not kill anyone: D but I failed…

I was thinking: “what is wrong with me”… I started to panic, I thought, “I will never pass” … “All can go to hell” … “Must be something wrong with the car” … Now, when I remember that, it is funny, but then I just panic. I felt like I lose a lot every time when I have not passed driving test. “All people” were passing from the first, second, third times, I was waiting for the fifth! I started to to think about all the friends and people who were passing from the first, second, third times, and I started to discourage myself… Car and the driving school was annoying me, and instructor and commissions and all other things…

Of course, not “all people” passed from the first or second time, but  in a panic I’m began to exaggerate, to always think negatively, and so feed your anxiety… what to say… : D I did not always felt so, but there were moments…

Have you ever passed through such a thing? Not only that you are panic-stricken because of an event that will come, but your thoughts “feed” and increases your anxiety…

And so came the fifth time … However, this time was different.

I do not know what or who it is (perhaps the driving instructor) but it pointed to my nervousness, as the main problem. It isn’t my knowledge of driving. I knew all the rules, I knew how, I always took extra classes. I know to drive. It was not that someone there did not like me. No one had reason to feel anything towards me. It was only one reason, I was extremely nervous and worried.

It would totally blocked me. So at the time of driving my attention was not behind the wheel.

The fifth time I have learned a very important lesson. More important then a driver’s license. And that is that the anxiety and nervous will block you even with things you know. Often, is not important  how much you know, nor do the skills, nor the talent … but only to how much you are relaxed.

I passed the driving test the fifth time and got a license. I was not nervous. On the contrary, I didn’t  think about anything else … I just drove, and everything was OK.

How do I deal with that?

How to deal with anxiety when it threatens to destroy your chances at something? I told you I have learned from this from driving test. Let’s analyze this.

First, I stopped to expect perfectionism from myself. I am less concerned about whether I will pass or not.

Second, I identified anxiety as a problem. When I saw and became aware of that, I was able to recognize who is the guilty and remove that immediately, because this depends on me. Not from external conditions. So I was  relaxed because I was aware of the problem.

Conclusion

It is strange how sometimes in ordinary situations we can learn a variety of important things.

This is one simple thing, get a driver’s license… but I learned a valuable lesson that we use today. I felt a great positive change in my life when I realized how much care and stress can block me. Of course even today sometimes I do not resist being upset because of something. I am a human being  But it is still much less, and conscious than before.

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