Friday, February 1, 2013

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Hope

Sometimes in life, you think that you just don’t want to play anymore. You are tired, you are frustrated and no matter what you do, things aren’t getting better. Does this sound familiar? Well, know that you aren’t alone; we’ve all gone through it.

In trucking it can often seem that you are alone in your struggles. You are the only one in the truck driving for hours on end. It is difficult, any truck driver will admit that. Being away from your friends and family for weeks on end is hard, but stick through it and remember; there is always light behind the clouds.

If you are just starting your truck driving job, know that the first few months are always the hardest. It’s a definite lifestyle change and you have to give yourself time to get used to it. There will probably be times when you think to yourself, is this worth it? But don’t answer that yet. Wait until you’ve got about six or more months under your belt and then think about it.

Life on the road really is rewarding and has many great aspects to it. For example, you get paid to travel across this great nation where each and every state is different. Just watch, soon enough you’ll be able to proudly say you’ve been in every state. While those with an office job, however, can name a few they’ve been to, but they probably weren’t paid to go to all of them.

It helps if you have someone you can call, maybe a family member or a friend who you could talk to while you’re on your break. If you don’t have someone you can call then there are plenty of trucking forums where you can go to talk to people in the exact same situation you are, as well as people who have been there, done that and came out on the other side. You can also get out of your truck and talk to the other drivers at the truck stop. Many of them are feeling the same way you are and would love the opportunity to talk to someone besides themselves.

I know times can get hard, but don’t give up. Honestly, it is what you make of it. Allow yourself a moment of despair if you need to, but then pull yourself back up, roll your shoulders and get back in the game. Enjoy the road and look for the good things in each and every day, if you look hard enough I’m sure you can find at least one good thing. Hey, you’ve got a job right? Even if you can only think of one positive thing, it’s worth holding on to.

You can make it. Just live each day the best you can and you will soon find yourself loving the lifestyle of a truck driver. Life goes on, make sure you go with it.