Buckle Up: Here's Where Driving Takes You
So, you finally earned your license and got your first car. Exciting, right? After all, this is likely your first taste of independence, and that feeling can make you feel invincible. Before you hop into the driver's seat and go, however, you might want to take a moment to think about how your life, and your view of the world around you, will change. You'll learn a lot along the way, too. Don't believe us? Here are 10 ways your first car changes your life, and 10 life lessons driving will teach you. Buckle up, and let's go!
1. You'll Want to Go On Road Trips All the Time
When you get your first car, you'll want to go on new adventures all the time. After all, if you have the means to, why not? You'll probably find yourself planning road trips with your family and friends whenever possible, meaning you'll see much more of the world than you ever did.
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2. You Understand Your Privilege
Owning a car, whether it was gifted to you by your parents or you bought it yourself with your own hard-earned money, is a privilege. Not everyone has the money to buy a vehicle, so you'll learn to appreciate how much more freedom and advantage you have by being able to drive whenever and wherever you want.
3. You Become the Designated Driver
Once you get your first car, especially when you're the first one among your friends to do so, you become everyone's designated driver. When you're not running personal errands, you're picking up your friends and family to get them to where they need.
4. You Become Independent
Because having your own car gives you freedom, you also become more independent. You're no longer relying on others to drive you to places, and now you have the say to go where you want, when you want. You'll also be able to apply for jobs that are farther out, and drive yourself to and from school.
5. You Understand the Importance of Safety
Once you have your own car, you don't just baby your vehicle—you baby your passengers, too. You understand how important it is to be careful and alert on the road, because you realize just how dangerous driving can be. Plus, you don't want to get into trouble with law enforcement, so it's always safety first, second, and third.
6. You Start Budgeting
Buying a car is one thing, but maintaining and insuring it is another. It's only when you start having your own car that you realize just how expensive it is, so you change your habits and start budgeting. It might even influence the way you spend money on other things.
7. You Realize You Have Free Will
Having your own car means that if you want ice cream at some ungodly hour, you can go get it. Well, provided the shop is still open, of course. But yeah, owning a car means you can drive virtually anywhere, any time you want.
8. You See the World Differently
Being able to drive more often means you'll likely be out and about more than you're cooped up at home. And the more you're out on the road, not only will you see more of the world, you'll see it differently, too. When you're in control of your destination, your surroundings come in with more clarity and vibrancy.
9. You Start Adulting
Having your own car gives you more independence, and with that, you start adulting. Instead of only applying to certain schools and jobs nearby, you can move out of town, begin a new life somewhere else. Plus, with the budgeting skills you'll gain from learning how to maintain your vehicle, you'll be smarter with your money.
10. You Build Memories
How does your first car change your life? A better question is: how doesn't it? Having your own car changes every aspect of your life, and you build countless memories with it from the moment you get behind the wheel. That's why so many people find it difficult to part ways with it later down the line.
Your first car doesn't just change your life—driving changes you as a person. In fact, you learn plenty of life lessons behind the wheel. Lessons like these:
1. Learn from Your Mistakes
The first time you drive, everything feels unfamiliar and scary. One mistake, like bumping the curb or forgetting to shift gears, can haunt you when you're unexperienced. But that fear of making mistakes soon dissipates because you realize that's how you learn.
2. Practice Makes Perfect
It can also be scary to push yourself to drive in those initial beginner stages. You want to be an expert on the road right away, but experience doesn't come from nowhere—it's gained. The more you practice and challenge yourself, the better of a driver you'll be.
3. Be Patient
Driving also teaches you patience. When you're stuck in traffic, blocked on all sides by endless rows of cars, you can't do anything else besides being patient. Showing aggression in these situations, such as through unnecessary honking or shouting—will likely only worsen your situation, so you've learned to sit back, jam to your tunes, and wait it out.
4. Be a Good Communicator
With so many users on the road, from bicyclists and pedestrians to buses and trucks, you're constantly tested as a driver. This allows you to learn how to communicate well, whether through signals, gestures, or a friendly smile.
5. Confidence Comes from Experience
Sometimes, even though you have the experience, you might still feel like an imposter wearing a costume. But the more you do something and familiarize yourself with it, the more you'll slowly build that sense of confidence. Eventually, it'll come naturally to you, as easy as breathing. Shying away, on the other hand, means you'll always have that lingering feeling of fear and doubt.
6. You'll Always Be Learning
And yet, no matter how many years you have on the road, you'll always be learning. Just when you think you've seen everything, there's more you haven'y encountered. That's the beauty of acquiring a new skill: there's no end to what you'll see next.
7. Be Kind & It'll Come Back
When you're kind to others on the road, like giving another driver priority or slowing down for a cyclist, good karma comes back around. The same often goes for other aspects in life. In some ways, driving teaches you to be a better person.
8. Driving Can Be Therapeutic
Driving can also be a form of therapy. After all, what's better than jumping behind the wheel and going to an unknown destination with nothing else but your favorite playlist on? Sometimes, just being alone in your car is exactly what you need.
9. Keep Moving
What's the point of having a car? To drive. What direction do you drive in? Forward. That's another life lesson that driving might teach you: no matter what your end goal is, the important thing is that you keep moving, even if your progress is slow, and even if you make mistakes.
Carlos Alberto Gómez Iñiguez on Unsplash
10. Trust Yourself
Driving is an incredibly complex skill to have and to master. It might not seem that way after you have decades of experience under your belt, but it's a big feat—and takes a huge amount of trust in yourself—to not only keep you and your passengers safe, but other road users around you.
