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Do you consider yourself to be a good car driver, or someone who will be a good driver as soon as you get your license?

You will have taken all of the necessary driving tests and spent many hours on the road, and are probably a relatively conscientious person. You probably have what it takes to be a good driver. Right so far?

Now Ask Yourself This…

Will you be a better driver four years from now, after you’ve had 48 more months behind the wheel?

Regardless of age, everyone knows the answer to that question. The more time you spend driving in rain, ice, snow, hail, sleet, high winds, blinding sun, and thick fog, the better driver you become. Driving under different conditions, such as when you are stressed or tired, in mountainous regions or on long trips; this makes you a more experienced, better driver.

Because that is how experience works!

A Collision Course: Expanding Freedoms vs. A Lack of Experience

Very soon, you will learn how to drive a 2000 pound car 65 mile per hour down the freeway.

You will make choices on:

• Where you want to go,
• What kind of summer job you want to have, and
• Whether or not you will pick up the habits of drinking, smoking, or doing drugs.

You will decide:

• How you handle dating relationships,
• Which colleges or trade schools to attend,
• Or which career path to follow after high school.

And your experience in these matters, like everyone when they are a young teen, is relatively low.

These expanding freedoms and your lack of experience are on a collision course. They will converge. How will you deal with that?

One More Question for You

Do you consider yourself to be good at confronting drugs, alcohol, and tobacco? You are probably mature for your age and use good judgment.

But, will you have an even better insight after four years of watching some of your friends get kicked off sports teams, wreck cars, be cited for DWI’s, or injure others? Will you know more after seeing the carnage left behind from a drug overdose? From seeing younger brothers and sisters follow bad examples?

Nobody is saying that you are immature. Likely, you are more mature than a lot of people who are twice your age.

But, it is not a matter of maturity!

It is a matter of experience!

Defy the villains

The best advice you can give yourself is to stay strong for another day. The single act of confronting drugs, alcohol, and tobacco in high school puts you way ahead of the game.

In the meantime, there are real villains in this story that are counting on you making mistakes.

But, they will be disappointed.

Because, every story needs a hero.