A few days ago, someone left a comment on one of my YouTube videos that said, “All you do is drive a car. You make hundreds of dollars a day. Quit your bitchin.”

At first, it stung. It felt dismissive, as if everything I do as an Uber driver, creator, and human being was reduced to a steering wheel and four tires. But after sitting with it, I realized there was something worth unpacking in that comment.

The Surface Is Always Simple

When you strip any job down to its basics, it sounds simple.

All you do is type on a keyboard.
All you do is sit in meetings.
You just drive a car.

Every profession can sound meaningless when nuance is removed. But the truth is, the meaning is in the nuance. Driving for Uber isn’t just “driving.” It’s navigating traffic, weather, unpredictable passengers, and an app that’s always trying to pay you as little as possible. It’s reading people’s moods at 4 a.m., solving little logistical puzzles, and keeping calm when chaos hits.

Still, there was a point buried in that comment.

Don’t Take the Hate with the Critique

Around the same time I got that comment, I saw a clip of fitness creator Sam Sulek on Chris Williamson’s podcast. He said something that stuck with me: “Don’t take the hate with the critique.”

That line hit hard. Because the commenter did have a point: maybe I complain too much sometimes. Maybe I focus too much on what’s unfair instead of what’s in my control. There’s a difference between venting and being constructive. It’s something I’ve been trying to work on, not just as a driver, but in life.

Be Thankful People Even Watch

Sam also said something else that resonated: Be grateful people care enough to engage.

With over 16,000 subscribers, brand sponsorships, and thousands of viewers, I regularly receive hundreds of thoughtful comments. Still, it’s the negative ones that echo the loudest.

The truth is, that commenter probably forgot what they wrote five minutes after posting it. It’s like someone flipping you off in traffic; they move on, and I’m the one stuck thinking about it. That’s wasted energy.

Don’t Let the One Overshadow the Hundred

For every one negative comment, fifty are kind. Why let that single voice define my day? It’s the same with passengers.

I once got a two-star rating that brought my 5.0 down to 4.99. The feedback said I was “impolite.” And they were right, I remember the ride. The passenger made me wait, and I got snippy about it. That wasn’t hate. That was real feedback. I needed to hear it.

The key is knowing which criticisms to keep and which to discard.

Needless Suffering

Sometimes I review dashcam footage of myself and catch moments where I’m yelling at a light or another driver, getting angry over things completely out of my control. That’s needless suffering.

It’s the same kind of suffering that happens when we obsess over an internet comment from a stranger who’s already forgotten we exist. The lesson is the same whether you’re driving or living: control what you can, let go of what you can’t.

The Real Lesson

Here’s the main lesson from that YouTube insult: Don’t let emotion drive your day. Keep your response measured, not reactive.

Listen for truth in criticism, but throw out the hate.
Be thankful for the people who care enough to watch or ride with you.
Let go of what you can’t control.
We may all "just" do something simple, but the real meaning is found in how we choose to show up every day and what we learn from it.

So maybe all I do is drive. But while I am, I’m learning to be calmer, kinder, and more in control.

All Uber Drivers to is Drive a Car!