I’ve written here before about my husband Charlie. Recently Charlie got a truck, and it’s a manual transmission.
I can’t drive a stick shift.
But we both agreed that it’s a good idea for me to be able to drive the truck, so last weekend, we headed out to a big high school parking lot for me to start learning.
For Charlie, driving a stick shift is muscle memory. He learned a long time ago, and his feet and hands respond instinctively to what the truck needs. He doesn’t have to think about when to put in the clutch, or how to shift from third to fourth gear, or how to get around a slower car on an uphill stretch.
When I get behind the wheel, it’s like I’m fifteen again and just got my learner’s permit. Driving, which I’ve done for decades with relative success, suddenly feels like new territory. And I don’t really like feeling like I don’t know how to do something, or that I might fail. As adults, most of us spend our time doing things we already know how to do.
But more than just the new skill, there is so much to be learned from being a beginner again. How do I respond when I stall out the car? How does it feel to struggle? What kind of learner am I—can I hear the instructions and implement them, or do I need to think through it, or do I need to try it and mess up and try again?
All of this is beneficial on a human level. It’s great to be a beginner, to stretch our brains and capacity. And it’s a real gift as a coach to remember that I am often asking clients to do things they haven’t done before, to stretch in ways that are new and can be frustrating.
What are you learning that’s new? What are you learning about yourself that’s new?
