I remember it so clearly. My husband and I lived a bit more upstate and we had only the 2 little ones at the time both under 2. We had one car. My hubby's pride & joy. A maroon colored Honda Accord (with a black hood....DON'T ASK...lol) My hubby loved that car. He had a work car so when he worked I had that car home all to myself. Though I didn't go ANYWHERE, EVER. No, I wasn't lazy, or tired and I loved the car as well. But the problem was, it was stick shift. And I COULDN'T drive it if I wanted to.
My husband, Joe, would constantly ask if I wanted to learn but I was always so intimidated. Well.... when the weather got REALLY nice, I began to be upset that I couldn't take the kids out anywhere because I couldn't drive them. So I talked to my husband and off we went. A sitter stayed home with the children (family rather) and we went to this large empty parking lot. Lots of stalling and bad noises coming from the car. I could see my husband holding back the tears....lol.
When I got the jist of it in the parking lot, it was time to take it on the road. WHAT!? NO WAY!? ARE YOU KIDDING?! I was so nervous. I wasn't scared of anything bad happening... I was scared Id stall out in front of people. But off we went. About the second block down... a stop sign *GASP*.... I stopped, as did the cars behind me. And then stalled out. I then panicked. Cars behind me honking as I'm trying to get myself together and more honking. I started crying right there, got out and made my husband drive. I realized what I was afraid of. I wasn't afraid of getting it wrong. I was afraid of what OTHERS thought about me getting it wrong! I was afraid that others would think wrongly and get upset with me and for whatever reason, what others thought had mattered to me. And so it upset me.
I went home upset and never wanted to get in that car again. Still my 2 babies looked at me and I KNEW we couldn't sit in the house all summer long. So I said to myself..."Self..... SO WHAT!? Who cares what anyone else thinks!? I don't give a hoot!" So about a week later I had my husband take me out once more. We started in the lot and when I got comfortable, off we went for the short ride home. When I got to that stop sign I was so nervous. Cars were once again behind me and I prayed I didn't stall out and block them. But I did. This time I remind myself that I don't give a hoot what they think, I'm going to do it. I gathered myself, started the car back up and off I went. I may have stalled 2 or 3 more times but I didn't give up. I got where I needed to get and didn't get upset when I got it wrong in fear of what others were thinking. I had done it! Of course more practice made perfect and also about 2 clutch's payed the price.... but if I went on fearing what others thought I would have been stuck home forever.
The moral here should be plain as day. Do what you need to do to succeed without worrying about what others will think when you fail. Once you don't give a hoot, you will push farther to succeed!
