FEAR OF DRIVING SMACKDOWN| Fearless 40 Chronicles Ep. 5

June 20, 2021
Posted by Ruth Taylor

“We want to see you driving!”

The Driving Again Challenge

Throughout 2019, everywhere I turned people kept asking me why I was not driving. Their questions were as follows:

Do you have a license?
Why aren’t you driving?
How can you be a businesswoman and not drive?

“We want to see you driving.” The truth is, I have had my driver’s license since 2004. In fact, I drove for it in a standard (stick shift) vehicle. After two accidents and some other negative experiences, I lost the courage to drive.

Every now and again, if I had no alternative I would drive, but it came to a point where just the thought of driving caused me to shake with fear.

One day a friend was too ill to drive, and I was so crippled by fear that I could not help her. On another occasion, my sister-in-law asked me to move the car out of the driveway. I was paralyzed by so much fear when I got behind the steering wheel that I had to call her to come and do it herself.

“How did I get to this point?” I asked myself. The fear of driving had become a giant that needed to be slain. I knew my attitude had to change, and I began praying about it.

I recalled John Maxwell’s book, The Winning Attitude and remembered that my attitude will determine my altitude. If I drove before I could drive again.

I told myself that driving is really about confidence and skill. I could get some refresher lessons. And this is exactly what I did. Halfway through the lessons, one morning I drove confidently from my home.

Nevertheless, I still do not like to drive. It is, however, a necessary skill essential to one’s freedom and independence in my part of the world. If you are struggling with this fear, here are three keys which can help you to slay this fear.

The Example of Others – My mother learned to drive in her fifties, and all it took was practice. I told myself that if my mother could do it, so could I. I am my mother’s daughter. I also found others like me on Facebook who had not driven for years but were now driving again. Their stories really helped me to slay this fear. It is not too late to drive again. Find your own examples and let their stories inspire you to either learn to drive or drive again.

Practice Under Guidance –Whenever you are trying a new skill, you will not be good at it. Eventually, you will master the skill with practice and supervision. Action conquers fear. Contact a driving school and pay for lessons or get a patient friend to teach you.

Mind-set Shift and Prayer – I told myself that I could do it and this fear had to go. As I prayed and reshaped my thinking, I found the courage to act. If you are struggling with this fear, I urge you to check your limiting beliefs. What is it that prevents you from driving? Change your thinking and replace limiting thoughts with empowering thoughts. Pray about it as well.