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Friday, October 8, 2010

Four of Spades

Do you perform your recommended maintenance?  Examples include annual physicals, visiting the dentist twice a year, or changing the oil in your car as directed by the dealer.  The Four of Spades will be representative of the tires on your car this week.  It is important to rotate and balance them on schedule to extend their effectiveness.  Your symbolic T.I.R.E. might include:

T = Tempo
       As you pursue your goals and dreams, it is important to pace yourself.  During part of the journey, it may be necessary to go full speed ahead.  Some things are time sensitive and you have to move fast in order not to get left behind.  Other things require more finesse so it makes sense to proceed with caution.   Monitor your tempo regularly and determine whether you need to speed up or slow down based on the approach that will yield the best results for you.

I =  Involvement
      Most people do not have the luxury of being able to dedicate all of their time to one endeavor.  You have to decide how actively you will be involved in your multiple interests.  Levels of participation will vary depending on several factors, including your schedule, support system, and benefits associated with the activities.

R = Risk
       Don't always assume that risk is a bad thing.  It is a necessary component of innovation and excellence.  Determine how much you can tolerate for each phase, or step, of your plan.  Consider the probability and consequences of the negative risk occurring and establish a strategy to address it.  Likewise, be prepared for the positive risk and how it can present advantages and shortcuts for you.

E = Endurance
       It is normal to become discouraged when you encounter multiple setbacks.  You can acknowledge the disappointment and still keep going.  Endurance is a confidence booster.  The longer you hang in there, the more you believe that your desired outcome can be achieved.  You build momentum by continuing to move.       

If you balance and rotate your tempo, involvement, risk, and endurance, you will get the maximum value out of each one of them.  Similar to the tires on your car, sometimes tempo and involvement will be in the front leading the way for you.  Risk and endurance will be in the back because they are not primary factors at the moment.  As things shift, tempo may move to the rear while endurance comes forward.  Regardless of the position, they will all work together to provide a smooth ride for you.

Leave a comment and share your thoughts on how considering tempo, involvement, risk, and endurance can influence your current or future projects.

5 comments:

  1. When I was in college I took a marketing class. The one thing that has stuck with me to this day is successful people take Risk. Each day when we get into the car and sit on those tires we take a risk but it’s the tempo (my mind) that keeps me going. It's like the lyrics in a spiritual "I Believe I'll Run On To See What The End Will Be" It a perfect combination of tempo, involvement, risk and endurance that will help me make it to the end. Thank you! Each week I can count on your blog to help me refocus. WMG

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  2. This is great. In my life TIRE(as a verb) became my normal because i did not rotate and balance by T.I.R.E.s when necessary and this caused several blow outs. Your inspiration will allow me to monitor these activities going forward to allow for a smooth ride/journey especialy when it comes to my health. ABM

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  3. Reading Four of Spades this morning has helped me to refocus, re-evaluate and keep things in their proper healthy perspectives. I encountered some news that could have set me back, but chose to look at my tempo and i realized that I have to keep moving ahead.

    STG

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  4. As posted earlier, I too did not rotate and balance my T.I.R.E. Sometimes life can be scary for us too. Loss of loved ones. Financial woes. Health problems. Problems that we create. As we carry these heavy burdens and cares, we long for a strong hand to hold ours to keep us steady and secure. This allows us to press forward.

    MLT

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  5. I really appreciate the card you dealt. The four of spades and your symbolic T.I.R.E. are exactly what I needed. I am in the process of making some very important decisions and after reading this I know that I must certainly do some maintenance.Once I rotate and balance my life's T.I.R.E., I am sure my decision making ride will prove to be alot more smooth...

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