Failing My Driving Test Was One Of My Biggest Blessings

Even if I didn’t realise it at the time.

Back story: I failed multiple times.

Being told I had failed was awful each time. That horrible feeling, the whole situation — I cried in the car almost every time. It was awful.

I remember my first test. I was driving downhill, and an ambulance was coming uphill. It didn’t have its siren on. I still pulled into the side to let the ambulance pass. Apparently, I didn’t pay attention to the parked car in front when turning in (I know I didn’t). My examiner had to hit the brakes.

And that’s it — that’s how I failed my first driving test.

I vaguely remember incidents that led me to fail the next couple of times. Turning in too close to parked cars. Driving too slow — yes, slow. One time, I nearly ended up on the motorway…

I used to get nervous. And by that, I mean really, really nervous. Once, during a lesson just before my test, my instructor told me to turn left at the next turn. So I went to turn left — there and then. There was no road to my left. There was a brick wall.

I didn’t crash into the wall, thank God. I can barely remember what happened. My instructor must have corrected me and turned the steering wheel back. Don’t worry, it wasn’t a big deal — I didn’t actually drive into a wall. But do you see what I mean when I say I used to get nervous? I’d panic.

For me, learning how to drive is up there as being one of the most stressful periods of my life to date. The constant rejection. The stress. The worries. The failing.

It wasn’t even the process of learning how to drive. It was the tests — they were the problem. They were so nerve-wracking, and, as you can clearly tell by now, I used to get nervous.

Nonetheless, I’m a genuine believer that there’s good to be found in every situation. Even if I didn’t realise it at the time.

I’m pleased to say I did eventually pass my driving test.

Thanks be to God — I did it. I actually turned those failures into a big fat pass! Passing my driving test is definitely up there as being one of my biggest achievements to date, even 5 years later. It genuinely took so much for me to get to that point.

However, the whole process taught me something. Something huge. And that something is perseverance. I was really blessed to have a family that pushed me to keep going after every failed test. So I did. I kept going even when I felt like giving up.

In basic terms, I tried, tried, and tried again.

And thus, I learned the value of perseverance.

I didn’t give up, even when I really wanted to. And I’m so, so glad. Because if I’d given up, I may never have got my driving license.

When we face tough times in life, sometimes giving up may feel like the only option. Or at least, the easy option. But there’s no reward in giving up. The reward can be found when you overcome the obstacles and succeed at your task. Don’t worry about failing, that’s just a part of the process. Failing, whether it’s one time or ten times, just makes it so much more rewarding when you do eventually pass.

It would have been easy to give up after I’d failed my first test. Of course, I didn’t want to put myself through that whole process again. Why would I put myself through all that when there was a chance I was doing it just to feel that rejection for a second time? Was it really worth it?

Yes, it was. Those feelings of rejection were just temporary — they always are. If I didn’t keep going (and then keep going some more), I would never have passed. How could I pass when I wasn’t even sitting the test?

Trust me, it’s not about the license. It’s about the fact that no matter how hard it got, no matter how many times I failed, I eventually passed. I didn’t give up.

It’s like the famous phrase goes: if you fall 7 times, stand up 8. Stand up 10 times if you have to.

If it’s truly worth it then don’t give up, my friend. You may be mere inches away from the finish line. Your time will come, God willing. Keep going.

Constantly failing my driving test was one of my biggest blessings. Because if I hadn’t, I may not have learned the value of perseverance. And that’s the biggest lesson to be learned here.

Takeaway

1. Don’t give up. You may be so much closer to the finish line than you think. Keep going. Persevere.

2. Failing just means that when you pass, the reward will be even more worth it.

3. There really are blessings to be found in every single situation — even the bad ones.

A bonus: I’m full of great stories, and you should, therefore, follow me. (Just kidding. Unless you want to…)

Thanks for reading! Have you ever been faced with a situation where perseverance has paid off? What did it teach you?

I’m donating my Medium earnings to charity this Ramadan. Why not come over and support? It’s all for a good cause.