Thinking Positive On The Road

We've all experienced road rage, but I bet one thing most people haven't done was hear some thoughts about thinking positive on the road from person who drives for a living. Some people are more prone to anger than others, so some people may find it easy to subdue the rage that threatens to rise inside them after someone speeding cuts you off. You have a right to get angry if someone put you and your passengers in danger, but there are things I've learned after driving trucks for over thirty years. We also have the right to get angry over lots of things, like Google sending our calls to recently immigrated competitors for no reason or missing a golf swing, but that's beside the point. Even if we have a right to be angry, it doesn't mean we need to be, and on the road is one of the most dangerous places you can express your anger.

When I was a young buck driving in Winnipeg I used to just flip people off. This was before I was a professional tow truck driver, of course. Once I began driving professionally I would express my anger in more professional ways, like honking the horn. In Canada, though, even honking the horn can be seen as rude and unprofessional depending on who you ask. Today, when someone cuts me off or if I see a driver putting others in danger, I do get angry, but I don't express it. Maybe the whole theme about the experience I want to share is that there's a huge difference between expressing anger and feeling anger.

When another driver ticks you off, it's important not to react. Overreacting can undermine the whole point, and you getting angry at dangerous drivers can then put other people in danger. So while you have the right to sit in your car seat and feel anger, you don't have the right to put other people in danger. Putting other people in danger is what got you angry in the first place, isn't it?

What do I do when someone cuts me off while I'm driving. Well, if I'm driving my tow truck in Winnipeg and another driver does something hat makes me angry, I combat that anger with positive thoughts. Yes, positive thinking! Or a positive mindset as it's often called. My positive thoughts usually sound like "Hey, buddy, I hope you're day goes better!" Even if I think this thought angrily the positivity usually adds light humor to the situation and I quickly calm down. Another positive thought I might have is, "Hey, this guy might be a horrible driver but I'm a pro. Let's show him how a pro driver reacts and stay calm." I ensure myself that doing the right thing and staying calm will give the best result. Of course, even someone is driving horribly to the point where it's really a dangerous concern, a positive thought I might have is, "I should maybe call the police." You'd be surprised how many drunk drivers are caught because a tow truck driver like me tipped off the police, and I don't feel a single ounce of shame about it.

Thinking positive on the road, in other words, can save lives!