My favorite quote growing up has always been, “Don’t go where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path and make a trail.” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I’ve tried to live my life up to the expectation of that quote, but it’s difficult to make your own path when you can’t go anywhere. I didn’t want to drive due to my fear of failing. My fear of failing my driver's test began back in 2014 when my sister, Hannah, failed hers. My whole family ridiculed her about it for years. After witnessing my sister getting made fun of, I was terrified that I would become the next family joke. A couple years later on my 16th birthday the pressure really began. I was weary to take my permit test because of my fear of failure. At that time, I did not know…show more content… It’s the one they most look forward to. This wasn’t the case for me. I was dreading that day since my sister turned 16. I was terrified to begin driving. I didn’t want to start driving, but I knew it was inevitable. My 16th birthday was in July, and unlike every other kid I wasn’t jumping in line to take my permit test; I waited until October. When I went to the courthouse, I was filled with fear even though I’ve been studying for months. Going in, I knew that there were three different versions of the test a green one, a blue one, and a white one. My friends told me that I should hope to get the blue because it was the easiest and to pray that I didn’t get the white one because it was the most difficult. When he opened the filing cabinet to pull out a test, he pulled out the white one. I panicked. My whole mind was focused on that fact that the white test was the hardest instead of focusing on what I know. 40 questions later I handed in my test. The driving instructor put test in a machine and it began scanning. After the machine stopped, he looked at his computer. He leaned close to me and told me “I hate to tell you this but you missed nine questions. One more right and you would’ve passed.” My heart stopped, It felt like a heavy pressure was on my chest that was keeping me from breathing. I was so angry at myself. He was still talking to me and I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. I just wanted to get out…show more content… My fear had finally became a reality. “How could this happen?”, I thought. I had practiced so hard so that this wouldn’t happen. I heard my mom on the phone and I knew she was talking to my dad. I was dreading him getting home from work. I can picture it now, “What's up, 9?” (referring to the number of questions I missed). When he came home from work, he didn’t do what I thought he would. Instead of making fun of me, he hugged me. He told me not to worry about it, and my nerves were probably what was getting in the way. This really helped to boost my self confidence .I had one week to prepare so I wouldn’t fail again. This time, instead of studying on the computer, I downloaded an app on my phone, and I practiced any time I could. I was determined to pass this next test. When the next week rolled around and I was going to take my second test, I tried not to think about it. I didn’t want to make myself nervous again by over thinking. When I walked in there, the guy asked what I needed. “I’m here to retake my permit test.” , I said with confidence. He looked at me and angrily said, “You’re not giving me what I need.”. My mind started racing, Oh no, did I forget to bring him something? Am I not going to be able to take it today?”. He then said, “I need to know your name.”. I heard before that this guy was rude, but this was my first time experiencing it. He handed me the white test and I went at sat down. I wasn’t going to let his
