It's never fun to be in a car accident. Not only does it ruin your week, but it can be traumatizing, especially if it's your fault. Even a minor fender bender can get into your head and drive you mad. But don't get down on yourself- car accidents happen to the best of us. And just as with most horrible things, there are lessons to be learned from them. I promise you that no matter how awful you feel after one of these incidents I can tell you from personal experience that you will get through it, as long as you recognize and heed these three important notions.
1. People suck.
People suck at driving and people suck at being nice. It's a bummer, but it's true. We figure these things out the hard way sometimes. Throughout all stages of life, we will be forced to interact with difficult people, and car accidents are no different. You will deal with rude drivers, scary police officers, and obnoxious passengers. The key is to be calm, patient, and as versatile as possible. And use these people as a reminder to be the best person (and driver) you can be!
2. There are more important things in life than money.
Like safety, for example. Or family and friends. And most importantly, your life. No car or material thing can even come close to the worth of any of these. No, not even a Lamborghini. Sure, paying your insurance bill is a pain and replacing the mailbox you ran into is embarrassing, but your life and the lives of others are truly priceless. Never forget that.
3. Life goes on.
There are much more pressing and serious issues in the world than one little fender bender. Don't dwell on the past. We all make mistakes and it sucks, but it isn't the end of the world. We learn from our mistakes and move forward. You are stronger and more responsible now because of this.
I've always had a hard time letting things go. I have a tendency to be very hard on myself and I let things like these linger and continue to ask myself, what if? What if I had sped up? What if I had left just a little bit earlier? I ask myself all of these questions and blame myself for accidents like these, when really it couldn't have been avoided. I've learned that there is no use in asking "what if?" - we simply have to move on and be thankful for what we have.
During difficult times you have an important choice to make: you can choose to let it break you or you can choose to stand up tall and grow from the experience. From my car accident, I've learned to always to the latter. Which will it be for you?
