The Arena Exercise
To the left is the Gladiator’s view after he is summoned to the arena.
Imagine that your view each morning.
And on the other side of that gate is a difficulty of your life.
The exercise sounds simple, but is really difficult for other reasons. It is a change in your habit, it is a change in your awareness, and it is a massive change in your purpose. Before, your actions and habits were to satisfy “others,” now it is your purpose, and for many, that will be a little scary.
Do this each morning. Say, write, or think, “Thus I enter the arena.” It would be good to leave yourself a sticky note on your steering wheel, or wherever you must look to start the day.
As you say the words visualize Russel Crowe as the Gladiator entering the arena. Feel the warm sand beneath your sandals, feel the weight of the gladius in your hand, if only for a few moments. But commit completely to using the day for training.
Your movie is Gladiator.Watch it. Here is the trailer.
About now you might think I can’t realistically do that. But you can.
Small wins. In the exercise visualize a small beast in your arena. Say a difficult conversation, an email or call you are reluctant to make.
Start with the reluctances, and work your way up. Our next section will help you vastly with this.
