Success doesn't come easy behind the wheel or in life

LEARNING to drive teaches lessons that apply both on and off the roads.

SUCCESS: Amy Gale after passing her driving test. Picture: Contributed

A BIG part of running a driving school is helping people out on the day they go for their driving test.

Many people are successful, while others must come along another day and try again. I see all sorts of reactions to success and failure.

Some are memorable for the joy that success brings, while others are memorable for all the wrong reasons.

I've been kissed and hugged by all sorts of people at this moment. Hey, I'm a loving type of guy so it doesn't really bother me, just not on the lips. Especially if you're a bloke with a bushy beard. On the cheek will be fine.

I've had to console those who haven't been successful, wracked with sorrow, and I've had to deal with those who react angrily and even violently.

No one likes to be unsuccessful when they do things. We all like to pass things first go. Well, I imagine people do. I know I like to.

Whether it's vanity, pride, or impatience or a mixture of all three, I like to get things on the first try.

Life doesn't always work that way. Sadly. At some stage in our lives we will be unsuccessful and have to deal with failures.

As a parent I would love nothing better than to have my kids go on to have happy and fulfilled lives.

I'd love them to have every success and to have everything better than I have had it.

To achieve this, I make sure that they learn what it's like to work hard and to strive to be successful with everything they do.

I also teach them that success doesn't come easy.

More realistically however, as a parent, I know I need to prepare my kids for dealing with failure.

It's going to happen sooner or later and maybe more times than we want.

We don't live in a world of magical unicorns and fairy godmothers unfortunately, no matter how much we want it.

It's a tough old world out there and the traits I'll always try to instil in them and improve is tenacity, persistence and resilience.

Chinese philosopher Confucius, in the fifth century BC is reputed to have said "our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.

I still find it hard to read anything preceded by the words "Confucius says” without having a chuckle.

Unfortunately, that's just the consequences of a life filled with irreverence and silliness. But the old bearded wise guy did make hundreds of good points all those years ago.

Sure, when you fail, be disappointed, be upset, be angry even.

But later, move forward. Remember what failure feels like and use it to make you dig deeper and try harder next time.

It's hard to see our kids fail. It breaks my heart when I see it with mine, particularly when they put the effort into something.

I'll help them when I can, so they have more success than failure, but I'll never just do it for them.

After all, we're not going to be there forever.

The hard work, including "tough love” sometimes, will always pay off in the end.

Short-term pain for long-term gain is what they say.

I don't think Confucius said that. Nor do I think he said this one either, but it made me laugh.

Confucius says "man who make mistake in elevator is wrong on so many levels”.