I yanked myself up to the running boards of The Beast — a lifted, beefy Jeep Wrangler that my parents purchased as my graduation present. My body plopped down on the cloth seat, a cocky grin resting on my face. My hands guided the seat adjuster bar back so my legs would fit, where my sweaty hands would then grip the smooth leather wheel. My left foot pushed the clutch in, and my right felt for the gas and brake pedals. I looked up through the missing roof panels, the sweat on my forehead glistening in the sun. I released the clutch, added gas, and boom, I didn’t move — The Beast stalled.

When I got in the car, I thought I would be able to pick up this skill quickly, given that I’ve always been a fast learner. I soon realized it was going to take lots of practice. I reminded myself that I had to walk before I could run.

Learning stick was something that I knew I wanted to do before I left for college. Even though only six-and-a-half percent of cars today are made with a manual transmission, according to a 2013 study done by USA Today, I felt it is an important skill to have. Being able to drive a stick has many advantages. For example, if I was ever in a pinch and needed to drive a manual car but didn’t know how, that could cause some issues. Also, numerous cars overseas are made with a manual transmission. I aspire to travel one day, so driving around to sightsee, wherever I may be, is important to that experience.

After a brief emotional breakdown, I let the smell of burning clutch dissipate and called my grandma for some advice. She explained that I felt like a failure because I lost control of my thoughts and the situation. Therefore, I have no control over the car. She told me to pull myself together and take the wheel of this opportunity. It sounded pretty legitimate to me, so I took a deep breath to let her words sink into my body. I turned the car back on, released the clutch, and added gas, only to stall again… of course. My mom and I looked at each other and just laughed. I was in the driver’s seat of this mental battle.

Everyone with a driver’s license needs to learn how to drive a manual transmission because it teaches the life skill of perseverance. It challenges how you speak to yourself and how you handle negative thoughts, which are extremely useful in today’s society outside of driving. The Beast took my confidence and beliefs and let them slip through the treads of the big tires. However, I was determined to drive the car and fought through the negative thoughts. I now feel that I am in the driver’s seat of controlling my thoughts because I have to believe in myself.

Aside from the physical and social benefits, the learning curve is most beneficial. From this experience, I learned that I cannot set unfair expectations for myself. These expectations would only lead to disappointment, driving the situation nowhere — literally. I challenge every driver to either learn or teach someone to drive a manual. Everyone needs to come to the realization that expectations aren’t fair and failing is perfectly okay. It is how we handle that failure that we learn the most about who we are.

So now, I hop into the front seat of The Beast, knowing that I worked hard to be where I am at. I took control of The Beast and I feel an extreme sense of accomplishment knowing that I put myself in this position. My continued driving is a metaphor for following the extensive journey ahead, even when it’s bumpy, too.