Beyond The First 50 Miles

Let us go back to the time we learnt to drive a car. The adrenaline rush of driving for the first time coupled with the trepidation of not knowing how the first drive is going to be. The false starts; the first gear; using the rear view mirror; understanding the mechanism of brake and gear shift; getting to know the clutch control; dealing with traffic; the first dent or scratch; and the pride of reversing the car back to its original position.

But as we go on driving, we find that our journeys are getting smoother; that we are understanding our vehicles better; that the gear shifts are becoming more effortless; that we are travelling more distance in the same quantity of fuel; and that false starts, dents, scratches and the trepidation are becoming rarer. 

As of today, I am still in my trepidation stage. I still get that cold sweat every time I see too much traffic ahead of me. I still swear more than what is necessary (if you have driven in India, you would agree that some amount of swearing is necessary). But I hope to cross over soon.

This cycle of learning is an integral part of everything in life. We may have rolled our eyes every time our teachers told us that 'Practice makes a man perfect' (women are born perfect apparently), but the fact of life is that, it is true. The trick is to keep on challenging one's fears, to keep on learning from one's failures and most importantly, to keep on trying - Beyond the false starts, the scratches, the cold sweats, the swearing and the first 50 miles.