Hate Learning to Drive? Here’s How to Change Your Outlook!

Learning to drive can be fun, but there's no doubt about it: it's challenging. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the excitement of embarking on this big life step that we forget to acknowledge that it takes a lot of hard work and commitment to complete. Learner drivers may experience a bit of a rude awakening when the reality of this sinks in!

Unfortunately, if you end up feeling like you hate learning to drive, it can really impede your progress. Not to mention, you might start to resent spending so much money on something that doesn't seem to bring you much joy. PassMeFast knows both how important and how hard learning to drive can be. With our handy tips, learner drivers who are struggling to view the process in a positive light can change their outlook and plant themselves firmly on the road to success. Let's get into it!

Keep it real

Positive thinking is all well and good, but in reality is isn't always that helpful. When it comes to something as important as learning to drive, we suggest you focus on thinking realistically. This means accepting that mastering all of the necessary skills to drive and feeling confident enough to demonstrate them in a test situation will take time. We call it a driving journey for a reason, and there will be ups and downs along the way.

Be realistic about what it takes to earn a licence. If some of your driving lessons are really enjoyable—great! Bask in this moment and enjoy the process. On days where it feels like a real chore, push on through and remember that you won't be a learner forever.

Roll with the punches

Across your experience of learning to drive, there will be good days and bad days. Some skills may come to you easily, and other times it may take you hours to get the hang of something that looks pretty simple.  Allow yourself to feel frustrated in the moment—that's perfectly natural. Don't, however, let it cloud the entire process.

Trust us when we say that it gets much easier once the basic skills, like steering and braking, become second nature. You will just have to get over a few humps before your efforts pay off. Plus, the sense of accomplishment you feel when you finally master that parallel park will be a great motivation booster!

Visualise success

If it's good enough for top athletes, it's good enough for you! The internal monologues we tell ourselves actually wield a lot of power. If you keep thinking that driving isn't for you and you'll never be able to pass, then it will probably take you a long time to see any progress. Why stand in your own way like that?

The good news is that repeating positive narratives to yourself can be just as powerful. As silly as it may feel, try to actually visualise yourself strolling up to the test centre, following the examiner's instructions with ease and receiving that valuable pass certificate. Doing this repeatedly can really help to change your outlook on the whole driving thing. The more you see it, the less out of reach the possibility seems. Now, if you can muster up the same level of intensity with which Serena Williams visualises more grand slams in her future, you're surely on to a winner!

Make sure you have the right instructor

Of course, there is the possibility that hating learning to drive isn't all down to your mindset. It's also really important that you have a driving instructor who can adapt to your needs. Most experienced, DVSA-approved instructors should fit the bill. It's perfectly normal to experience a few teething problems with your driving instructor, as you get used to their teaching style. After all, learning something new is tricky and so tensions may run high at times.

That being said, you should never feel uncomfortable or unsafe during your lessons. If you have persistent issues with your driving instructor and begin to dread your lessons for this reason, it might be time to look for a new one. We have some blog articles on that very subject that you may find useful:

• I Don't Like My Driving Instructor—Help!
• 5 Signs of a Bad Driving Instructor
• How to find a Good Driving Instructor

Shorten the process

In all honesty, there is a chance that you will never enjoy the process of learning to drive. It isn't for everyone, and it might just be something you have to grit your teeth through until you can pass the test. If that's the case, it makes sense to keep your suffering to a minimum by aiming for the shortest learning process. How do you do that? With an intensive course!

Here at PassMeFast we could bang on about the benefits of intensive courses all day (and sometimes we do!) but they really are the most efficient way to earn a licence. That being said, it is not a magic pill. You have to give an intensive course your all. It will be hard work, but it is totally worth it. Completing 2-5 hour lessons at a time, rather than the traditional 1 hour a week approach, can cut the learning process down by months.

Keep your eye on the prize

And, finally, remember why you're putting yourself through this! A driving licence can improve your life dramatically. You have the freedom to hit the road whenever you want and it opens up a whole new range of travel and career opportunities. Sure, it might not feel all that exciting when you're stuck in an ugly housing estate practicing pulling up on the right for the 50th time, but it's all leading to something great! Good things come to those who wait, and if you have the right attitude and really put the work in, you won't have to wait that long! When things get tough and you feel like throwing the towel in, think about what that little pink card represents.

Learning to drive might not be exactly what you expected, but by following the tips above you can adopt the attitude that will carry you over the finish line! For more driving-related tips and tricks, keep visiting PassMeFast resources!