The Safe Driver

Do you have enough will power to make changes?

There are so many things we need to do in life that will test our will power. Will you take that last piece of cake for dessert? Will you say what’s on your mind to someone even though you know it will hurt their feelings or make them angry? There are countless of times we have to take a moment to think before doing or saying something that we may regret later. Does this sound familiar to you?

This is definitely true when it comes to driving. Drivers need will power each and every time they drive to refrain from doing things that may either be illegal or dangerous. Do you have enough will power to do the proper things while driving? How many times have you been speeding to your destination because you were late? Or have you remained calm and went with the flow of traffic or speed limit even though you knew you would be late? If you did, you had good will power.

Will power essentially has you fighting against yourself. Lately, we’ve seen drivers in the news because they can’t seem to stop texting or talking on their cell phones while driving. Do they have enough will power to turn their phone off while driving? Do they have enough will power to put it away and ignore it while driving? It doesn’t really matter what the law says to many people. They don’t have enough will power to make the necessary changes within their life to become more responsible and safe.

Case in point to this driver caught on their cell phone by police, twice within 30 minutes. http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4441928-two-cell-phone-tickets-in-30-minutes/ With today’s current fine, their lack of will power cost them $560. What would make them feel they could use their cell phone within minutes of getting caught using it? They had no will power to stop their bad habits. It could have cost them more than just the fines – such as the life of another driver or even their own life. What’s going to help them change and improve their will power?

The interesting thing is if you really want to make changes, you can do it. Many people give up because ironically, they lack will power to continue to make these changes. I remember a time when I was in school and running in a cross country event. At some point I want to stop running and walk part of the race, but I decided to continue along. I thought my actions through. I had more to lose by giving up and more to gain by continuing. If drivers thought what the consequences were with their actions before they did them, perhaps their will power would improve to avoid doing those risky actions. It’s all psychological.

Here a plan for you to attempt. Make small changes to help you improve your will power. Once you do these changes a few times, you can begin to make them into a habit. Also, avoid putting yourself in the way of temptation. Temptations can be tough to resist, but it’s something that has to be done. To help resist temptations, leave early so you won’t take chances by speeding or constantly rolling through red lights and stop signs. Put your phone away or turn it off so you won’t be tempted to use it. If it’s out of your reach, you won’t be able to reach it. The choice is really yours to make these changes, provided you have enough will power to try.