What is the bright side of a driver's permit when you're the last with still with it?

Question

My driving instructor and parents have told me that i will drive better if i drove with more confidence. However, it's hard. So far i would say in the 6 months i've had the permit, i've drove a car no more than ten times and each time was a little less than an hour. And I had improve just slightly. But i'm one of those ppl that let things get to me and everytime i drive i cant help but remember ALL my friends around my age older and younger has their license, except me. And i always have those daydreams where they are able to find and drive to their jobs and go to parties and all these different places they want to go and here i am still stuck with "mom, dad can i go here? can you pick me up?' and the typical walk/biking there. however, i cant walk or drive to any place that offers a job. its too far, so i can't just get a job at all. and it bothers me almost to the point of tears. i mean, im graduating next year and i cant even park a stupid car yet! and even though im elligible to get a license next month, goodness knows i am NOT even near ready! all of this is almost to the point of embarrassment! and i'm sick of tired of being the last person to reach anything, the ONLY one of my group of friends that don't do ANY sports or as talkative or as popular and so naive! and once i graduate and out of the house (hopefully with a d**n license and enough experience to avoid crashes), i KNOW i will go crazy/wild of the freedom. i know its stupid (ppl are telling me im just using this as a dumb excuse for driving so horribly) but i just need a few optimistic facts of being the last of getting a license and graduating next year witout any experience of a job or much money to start with.

Answer 1

You need more practice, when there is little traffic go with a parent or friend that drives carefully and knows the rules.

Answer 2

I know it feels awkward to maneuver a vehicle around when you first start.  I clearly remember driving around the school parking lot with my mom and saying these exact words "how am i EVER going to be able to take this thing out on the road?"  Ten hours is simply not enough experience -- when i took my drive test i had over 50 hours of experience behind the wheel.

Now i have been driving for more than two years and it simply comes naturally.  as you get more experience under your belt, you wont even have to think about it.  its almost as if the car becomes an extension of your body and it is being controlled directly by your brain -- as naturally as walking or running!

i cant stress enough that driving gets much, much easier with experience.  All you have to do is get out there and practice.  practice your skills on quiet roads with a medium speed limit (35 mph is good). stay on roads you are familiar with at first and practice following the rules of the road.

hope all this helps. see u on the open road! : -)

Answer 3

You could be more confident through the total elimination of dependency upon others' judgment. This is because if you don't really have a solid knowledge of your abilities and of who you are, you will most likely be depending on others to tell you who you are and to define your abilities and limitations for you. If they were satisfied by your actions, then they may tell you that you are a good person; if not, they may label you a fool, an idiot or anything else that suits their own point of view. You will of course welcome these labels and add them to your idea about yourself because you've left the judgment to them from the beginning.

Correcting this problem is very simple: Get a piece of paper and write down your strengths and your weaknesses. Keep editing this paper until you are satisfied with what you've written. Now keep reading it daily until you are really sure that what you wrote down are your real abilities and skills. Now, whenever you are faced by someone criticizing you or labeling you, you can simply see if any of what he said matches your judgment of yourself. If it doesn't, just drop the comment.