Lessons from rallying

I am a driver and a navigator in TSD (time, speed, & distance) car rallies. The rally is run on motorable roads within speed limits, unlike fast car racing. In this sport, it’s never over until it’s over. I have learnt navigation and driving skills hard way and have failed many times before I got to the podium. 

Sport has given me more than I could imagine. I wanted to share some of my life lessons from rallying. 

1. Never lose your route : Roadbooks are given to every team to stay on course for the destination. When roadbook is followed correctly, you’ll not miss route. But sometimes, there are tricks. If you lose route/focus, you incur huge penalties.  When you realize that you are on the wrong route, you need to go back to your last known point, reset and start again. In life, know your destination, and know what path you want to take. If you lose track, reset and move on. There is no other way. 
2. Trust your codriver : Driver’s job is to listen, follow instructions and reach point on time, every time. Codriver’s job is to navigate, calculate and keep feeding information to the driver.  Most of time navigator does not see the road, and the driver cannot see road book. Here you need to trust each other. If you do not trust your team, you’ll keep arguing with each other & will make mistakes. Trust is built on credibility (the words you say), reliability (the actions you take), intimacy (the way you make people feel) and believing in a common goal for your team. 
3. Keep calm : Challenging routes make you nervous and temperature inside car becomes really hot. When both driver and navigator are calm & stress free, they can think clearly. The few seconds delay is always better than rushing unclear decisions. Sometimes we sweat the small things and lose sight of the big picture. Thinking through your decisions with a relaxed mind will give better results.
4. Learn to adapt quickly : Not everything will go as planned. Stephen Hawking’s quote is very apt. “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”. I have committed many mistakes & lost rallies when I was not flexible. At rallies, such decisions are taken in a blink in a moving car. Go left or right? Go fast or slow? Apply learnings from past experiences when needed the most whatever your circumstances are.  Adapt to new normal as fast as possible.
5. Follow your own path : One car goes left, another goes right, you are not sure where to go. A strong mantra of rallying is follow your roadblock and not other cars. People have stuck in dead ends following others blindly. You are the driver of your life. You know the best about your needs. Gain deeper knowledge, know your destination and create an awesome journey for yourself.

In the both races of life and car, those people win who change gear at the right time - Mehul Shah.