We can all remember the tension in the air when we had to pass our driver's education exam in order to obtain the next stage of freedom via driver's license.

We also all remember the most repeated term in Driver's Ed history...

"Practice Defensive Driving". or "BE a Defensive Driver".

If you try to capture the essence of defensive driving in its most simplified sense, one might label it as "having total awareness of self and surroundings".

When we are behind the wheel, we are expected to be fully aware of a lot of things: The weather conditions, how much gas is left in the tank, if there is a map in the glove box for emergencies, if there are any sporadic drivers around....its on us to be fully engaged.

In life, defensive driving can be swapped out for "Self Awareness".  It is one of the greatest skills I have learned from one of the most impactful books I have ever read, Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Examples of being more self aware are:

-Knowing how your poor attitude or language may effect your child's mood/behavior..

-Troubleshooting the REAL reason why your back hurts in the morning, instead of chalking it up to a long week.

-Recognizing when your body feels dehydrated

-Knowing how your mood is impacted when you get less than X hours of sleep.


And to think all of this awareness started with a quick diagnostic check.