Sheilaclapkin's Blog;

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Dear Hillary,

You do not drive a car?  You recently stated you haven’t since 1996.  It is so nice that you can be driven wherever your life takes you, but I have a concern that by being driven, you have lost some very important skills.  I am not approaching this as a political strategy, I just have a few thoughts on what it takes to drive, and many are the same thoughts on what it takes to be president of any organization, society, union, you get the idea? Many people do not drive cars for various reasons, but they probably won’t run for President of the United States in the near future. Perhaps you won’t either Hillary, but if you do decide to run, drive a car, please.

The reason I state driving a car will be so good for you is because so many skills necessary for leadership, believe it or not, are encompassed in being able to successfully drive a car. Skills like concentration and focus are extremely important.  Concentration means giving your undivided attention and singling in on something specific in nature. When you are skilled in focusing you are able to single out the main purpose. As a leader, knowing the main purpose of so many things are important in serving the interest of your people. Take the car out for a Sunday jaunt and keep your skills honed.

Anticipation and forethought are important when driving a car. You usually mentally plan out the route you will take and aimlessly driving is not productive. If you do not know where you are going, you really can’t get there.

Judgment when driving a car is paramount and particularly vital. When driving a car you must evaluate the road conditions and the position of other cars continuously in order to make a safe decision. Decisions are a constant in driving as well as being a person of authority.

Patience is a virtue not only in life, and a hard state to achieve, but exceptionally important when driving. Wikipedia states that patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances. Having patience is being steadfast and does not include hastiness and impetuousness. I see impatient drivers causing road problems on a daily basis. When involving yourself in a decision-making problem, do you not think having patience is a valuable tool in procuring long-term rewards?

Having peripheral vision in driving as well as all aspects of decision-making is enormously important, do you not agree? Having peripheral vision, seeing outside the center is enormously important.  It opens the field of opportunities and does not keep one looking only straight ahead. Think of how much you enlarge the playing field by not using only central vision and thinking. Think of how important what you are looking at can be in terms of leadership and as well as driving a car. Sometimes we simply need to open our field of vision to attain our goals.

Another important skill you need to keep in the forefront when you are driving a car is confidence. The roads these days have tripled and quadrupled in the gathering drivers and cars. People drive longer and longer distances, people who jump in their cars, put in the key, turn it or just press the on button take with them a bundle of skills all rolled up in the word confidence. They trust that their chosen actions are the best because they do this job of driving nearly everyday with success.

Driving keeps you on the ground, connected. We need a leader to bridge gaps and connect the world in as many ways possible. My dear Hillary, get out there, put on your seat belt, follow the rules, and get connected. Go for a drive. Do it yourself. Sharpen your skills.