There's a great prayer out there used by a lot of folks-the Serenity prayer. Could also be renamed the Rallyist's prayer, but I'm doubtful that'd go over well. ;-)

I know you've all gone and Googled it, but for those that don't want to leave this riveting page, it talks about finding peace despite(or in spite of) the things that you can't control. It also talks about wisdom to know the difference between the things you can control and those you can't.

Biggest uncontrollable category? People. Amazing, because I try to control them all the time, especially as a parent. It often leads to comical outcomes if you have a dry and somewhat warped sense of humor like the Mainer I am. :-)

JoMo(my nickname on team LDR-feel free to shout it out if you pass be me on main street, anytown USA! ;-)), what does all this prayer, wisdom and controllable/uncontrollable shizzit have to do with being a sexy rally driver/team principal(always wanted to use that phrase in reference to myself)?!

Everything. Abso-frickin-lutely everything. :-)

Rally is all about controlling every variable we can think of before and during the rally. As you've read in my other posts, this takes a lot of time, skill, money and the wisdom that comes from experience about what's mission critical and what's not.

Each night for the past three weeks, I've sent an updated to-do list out to the team members helping with the prep for 100 Acre Wood. Some days the list gets smaller, and the next it might grow as we turn our attention to an area we hadn't considered just a few days before.

Regardless of the size or content, the list represents things(we think) we can control. Torquing bolts, changing parts, ordering parts, etc.

What can't we control? I already mentioned people. I prefer to think that all of us on the team watch each other and try and shepherd each other. If one of us is having a bad day, someone else recognizes it and puts a plan of support into effect.

We can't control the weather. We can't always control our level of fatigue or mental stress. We can't always control our health. We can't control the local wildlife on event. We can't control whether or not the trailer gets a flat on a desolate country road at 2AM. We can't control our level of external funding. We can't control the perception of our team/personalities-even with all this social networking! ;-)

When we leave the driveway here at Triple Caution Farm in Bangor, Maine for rally destinations far afield, we're usually pretty confident, but we're not cocky. We know we didn't remember every single thing we needed to take. My wife's favorite parting phrase to me is, "Call me later and tell me what you forgot so I can send it along with crew tomorrow!" I love that woman! :-) Incredibly(although not surprising to you ladies reading this), I DO forget something and DO have to call her. Maybe she's just taking stuff out of my bag so I HAVE to call?! ;-)

So we arrive at our rally destination after 1-3 days of travel. We transport whatever we think we'll need to tend to ourselves, T-4, the truck and trailer. Tools, spares, fuel, generator, more spares and tools. You get the idea. And if you've ever seen men pack, you'd stand there and shake your head watching us make decisions about what HAS to go with us.

So how do we deal with the uncertainty? I've already said we control everything we can, but we also know full well that things will transpire that we can't control. Defective balljoint? Water in fuel? Two flat tires with one spare? Lost a gear in the transmission? Wrong tires for the conditions? Tired? Hungry? Sick?

We've been at this awhile(11 years in 2010) and we've carefully screened our crew to create a, "chill," vibe within the team and on event. We try to avoid expending energy and time trying to control things we can't. It's a skill that has to be learned and practiced and some just can't do it. Some just don't recognize that they need to(and should).

A great example of this is long term co-driver Dave Getchell. He came from a Porsche enthusiast background, having a wonderful vintage 911 that he entered into concours events. I can't even watch car owners prep for these things-out come the q-tips, wax, rags etc. Everything has to be perfect, all the time. If it isn't, they have to take another Pepcid.

It was quite humorous to watch Dave's transition from concours nutjob to his much more appropriate laissez faire rally attitude. When he sees dirt on his daily driver, he actually wonders why this isn't more on it! :-) Good mental health, that!

A couple of experiences Dave and I have had illustrate this control issue quite well. A few years ago, at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary, Alberta, we were transiting across a very long valley towards service. Although we were moving along quickly, we never seemed to be getting any closer-such is the scale in the Rockies. Anyway, there was a nasty noise from under the car. It sounded rotational. Having nothing better to do, we started to attend to the noise, letting it create some nasty imagery in our heads about what was falling off the car. By the way, noises like this create more stress later in an event.

Dave suggested that something might be wrong with the transmission and wanted to stop and check it out. I chuckled and he was a bit incredulous. He asked me what was so funny. If the transmission were wonky(rally terminology), as he suggested, I asked he had become a transmission specialist? did he bring his spare in the trunk? Did he have his tranny repairing tools under his seat. He looked over at me, smiled, and said, "You're right-drive it until it breaks." For those dying to know-it wasn't the tranny-it was some underbody protection that was loose and flapping on the gravel.

Another great example was at the Maine Forest Rally 4-5 years ago. We...ahem, I, tore a wheel off the car by trying to take a corner on the Magalloway stage via a shortcut through the woods. When we got to service, the crew found we had broken a rear brake disc and had no spare. The rear struts had ripped the center out of both of the top mounts, letting them float and pogo around at will.

One of crew, Matt Robinson, took some safety wire and affixed a brake pad from the rear caliper sideways so that the brake caliper piston couldn't move. This allowed us to have the remaining three brake calipers function. As far as the struts went? The crew told us not to leave the ground with the car. :-)

Rallying continues to teach everyone on the crew lessons. Not simply automotive lessons, but life lessons. It teaches us to think quickly, laterally, and not to impart a lot of emotional energy to what's going on. As we have become fond of saying within the team, "It is what it is."

With Monday just a couple hours away, and it tending to be one of the most difficult days of the week for most folks, I challenge you to try an experiment.

Identify an instance where you're trying to get/have/obtain/create/buy/barter for control. If you can identify it and then stop, pat yourself on the back and laugh at how absurd our need for control is. If you don't identify the process and you actually get what you want or are thwarted, how do you feel? Powerful or ticked off? What was the cost of your control? Was it worth it?

While I was typing this post, my wife came in and asked me to help move a piece of furniture. I was put off to say the least, as I was all settled into my blog posting chair with some Switchfoot playing over Airtunes from my laptop. Hot chocolate on the side table. A bunch of excuses about why this was not a good time to move furniture started to come out of my mouth. Most, alright all, were ridiculous. So we moved some furniture. :-)

I'll stop rambling and once again thank the LDR crew for all their hard work in the shop today. The excitement is building for the 100 Acre Wood Rally/Missouri. I enjoy watching the crew get excited. I can't really get too excited until the stage start worker says, "3....2....1...."

Cheers! John