Is there anything that Taylor Ferns cannot do? She is a talented race car driver, has her own company, and is pursuing a law degree simultaneously. Wow, this lady is talented! However, don’t assume that all these things have come easy to her. She has faced incredible difficulties and bigotry along the way.
As I listened to Taylor describe the challenges of being a woman in motorsports, I was impressed by her tenacity and willingness to demonstrate her skills behind the wheel. And, like all ladies that are breaking the glass ceiling, Taylor has had many people who have tried to undermine her or disrupt her successful motor racing career.
In law, she’s been able to serve in a successful law firm, and she is about to finish her law degree. However, most of her accomplishments come on the racetrack. Taylor was the first woman to win the USAC Sprint car race on multiple tracks. She’s only the second woman ever to win a USAC championship. She uses her experience to mentor younger women entering motorsports.
Getting paid to do what you love
It’s not hard to be driven by passion when you get paid to do what you love. Taylor watched her family race as a young girl. Soon Taylor fell in love with motorsports, as well. Her successful race career started 20 years ago as a 6-year-old.
How about you? Are you getting paid to do what you love?
When you have a passion for something, it can quickly turn into a marketable skill. Many people left their day jobs during the great global resignation because they were sick of getting paid to do something that didn’t satisfy them. If you’re still living that daily grind, let Taylor’s story motivate you to go out and pursue your passion.
Facing bias and bigotry
Passion doesn’t eliminate challenges. Taylor faced difficulties behind the wheel as a woman in a male-dominated sport. She describes one of her most frustrating and challenging moments after racing a car that wasn’t at top performance. No matter how often Taylor challenged the team to make the car perform better, they ignored her suggestions simply because of her gender.
If you’ve ever been dismissed because of your race, gender, or ethnicity, you know what Taylor felt when she left the team. On a two-year break from motorsports, Taylor learned that the owners and the race team made the changes she suggested only after a male driver made the same recommendations.
Listening to Taylor’s challenges reminded me that nothing great ever comes easy. Even if you get the privilege of pursuing your passions, you still must have grit and determination to face the challenges that will inevitably come your way.
Who’s filling the driver’s seat?
After a 2-year break, Taylor returned to motorsports racing. She’s back in the driver’s seat… but not completely. Taylor is driven by passion and talent, but her faith is also a driving force in her life. She allows her faith to dictate how she conducts herself on and off the racetrack.
Be careful not to crash and burn, struggling for control in your life. Two people can’t have control of the steering wheel at the same time. You don’t need to be a professional race car driver to realize this will cause you to crash and burn.
Taylor recognized that she could not have control of the driver’s seat of her life and allowed Jesus to have power at the same. For her to be driven by faith truly, she was going to have to let Jesus take the driver’s seat of her life.
This is a challenge for all of us.
Humans have an innate desire for control over their own lives. Therefore, it’s challenging for us to give up the driver’s seat. It took some catastrophic events in my life before I could hand over control of my life to King Jesus. I also challenge you to follow Taylor’s lead and give Jesus the driver’s wheel of your life.
