Driving on the highway

Here’s my first experience driving on the highway…

Driving on the highway for the first time can be a daunting experience. The speed, the other vehicles, the merging, the exits – it can all be overwhelming, especially for a new driver who is used to the slower pace of residential streets.

I remember the first time I drove on the highway like it was yesterday. It was with my driving teacher. I was nervous and scared, but also excited to finally take on this new challenge. Honestly, I was very happy the driving teacher had pedals on his side ;). 

As I merged onto the highway, my heart was pounding in my chest. I tried to focus on the road ahead of me, but my mind kept wandering to all the things that could go wrong.

What if I merged too slowly and got rear-ended? Or, what if I missed my exit and got lost? What if I couldn’t keep up with the other cars and caused an accident? I was giving into self-doubt and anxiety, and it was hard to concentrate.

At the time, my doubts literally froze me. All I was doing was maneuvering the stirring – leaving my instructor to take care of the speeding. Eventually, he lost patience.

Long story short: although my instructor knew I was yet to be comfortable with driving on the highway, he still booked me to take the driving license exam. Clearly he believed in me more than I did. 

Why did he do that? Because he had faith in me. Moreover, he was aware of the environment around this exam. When he booked the exam, he knew the examiner would assess me on the highway on that specific exam day.

I passed the exam. With flying colors. But I couldn’t help questioning and confronting my instructor: why did he take that risk? Not just with me, but with the other users of the highway.

His response baffled me. He said:

Not only do I know what I have taught you, but I have seen you react over and over when under extreme pressure. I was a firsthand witness to your your driving style. You have over mastered the basics and what I taught you.

In other words: you plan every move long in advance. You are very much aware of your environment. And more importantly, your reactive intuitions are always right. You are not a danger to other users of the road, and your reactions are spot on when they act dangerously.

Last, but certainly not least: I wouldn’t have risked messing up with my business success rates by sending you to that exam if there were a single chance you’d fail.

I started to get the hang of it. Yes, I began to understand the flow of traffic, the rhythm of the lane changes, the timing of the merges. I realized that I didn’t have to be perfect, I just had to be aware and present.

And as I relaxed into my new role as a highway driver, I began to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. I was doing something that I had never done before, and I was doing it well.

Driving on the highway can be a lot like running a business. At first, it can be overwhelming and scary. There are so many variables to consider – competition, market trends, customer needs – and it can be hard to know where to focus your attention.

And like a new driver on the highway, a new business owner can be filled with self-doubt and anxiety. What if they make the wrong decision? How would they possibly keep up with the experienced competition? What if they fail?

But just like on the highway, a business owner can learn to navigate the terrain with practice and experience. By staying aware and present, by focusing on the road ahead and not getting distracted by what-ifs, a business owner can begin to get the hang of it.

They can learn to understand the flow of their industry, the rhythm of their customers’ needs, the timing of their marketing efforts. And as they relax into their role as a business owner, they can begin to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

They are doing something that they have never done before, and they are doing it well. But there’s one more element that is essential for both highway driving and business success: emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It involves empathy, self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, and motivation.

And just like a skilled driver needs emotional intelligence to navigate the challenges of the highway, a successful business owner needs emotional intelligence to navigate the challenges of the marketplace.

Emotional intelligence allows us to communicate effectively with our customers, our collaborators, and our partners. It allows us to understand their needs, their wants, their fears, and their motivations.

It also enables us to adapt to changing circumstances, to manage our own stress and anxiety, and to build strong, lasting relationships. And just like a skilled driver on the highway, a successful business owner with emotional intelligence can feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in their achievements.

So whether you’re a new to driving on the highway or a new business owner in the marketplace, remember that the key to success is practice, experience, and emotional intelligence. Stay aware.