# Preparing for your next battle
About four minutes into Gladiator—my favourite Russel Crowe movie—the Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Crowe), introduces a ritual he would repeat several times: just before battle begins he kneels on one knee, grabs a handful of earth, rubs it between his hands, and then deeply inhales as he cups the earth in his hands to his face.
Only then does he commence his brand of extreme negotiation. You can see the video below.
Just a power move you think? No, it's much more. Maximus accomplishes two things with this ritual:
## 1) Clears his mind
In my last post I wrote about [hitting the clear key of your mind](http://peteranthonygales.com/2017/06/02/how-a-calculator-can-help-you-solve-for-stress-and-low-productivity/) …show more content…
Before a big game top athletes often take a few moments to mentally prepare; soldiers do the same before a military operation. Some use a prayer, some use a pep talk, some repeat a pledge or an oath of duty. For some it's all of the above. Whatever it is, it should work for …show more content…
Saying this intention out loud increases the chance that they would perform with strength and honour and not scream and run away Monty Python style.
As you move through your day, going from situation to situation, any clearing ritual you perform should end with an intention for the situation you are about to advance.
It's clear that “Strength and honor” (said in Crowe baritone) came from a deeply held conviction of the Maximus character, a conviction he would live up to in every battle.
Since war was his business, “Strength and honor” worked as a standard declared intention before every battle, but you may adapt your intentions per situation.
Ideally your intention should come from your personal credo, or mission statement if you have one, but it can also come from the particular situation you're about to enter.
For the meeting where participants typically don't feel heard or valued, you could declare this intention before you go into the meeting “May everyone present leave the meeting feeling heard and
About four minutes into Gladiator—my favourite Russel Crowe movie—the Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Crowe), introduces a ritual he would repeat several times: just before battle begins he kneels on one knee, grabs a handful of earth, rubs it between his hands, and then deeply inhales as he cups the earth in his hands to his face.
Only then does he commence his brand of extreme negotiation. You can see the video below.
Just a power move you think? No, it's much more. Maximus accomplishes two things with this ritual:
## 1) Clears his mind
In my last post I wrote about [hitting the clear key of your mind](http://peteranthonygales.com/2017/06/02/how-a-calculator-can-help-you-solve-for-stress-and-low-productivity/) …show more content…
Before a big game top athletes often take a few moments to mentally prepare; soldiers do the same before a military operation. Some use a prayer, some use a pep talk, some repeat a pledge or an oath of duty. For some it's all of the above. Whatever it is, it should work for …show more content…
Saying this intention out loud increases the chance that they would perform with strength and honour and not scream and run away Monty Python style.
As you move through your day, going from situation to situation, any clearing ritual you perform should end with an intention for the situation you are about to advance.
It's clear that “Strength and honor” (said in Crowe baritone) came from a deeply held conviction of the Maximus character, a conviction he would live up to in every battle.
Since war was his business, “Strength and honor” worked as a standard declared intention before every battle, but you may adapt your intentions per situation.
Ideally your intention should come from your personal credo, or mission statement if you have one, but it can also come from the particular situation you're about to enter.
For the meeting where participants typically don't feel heard or valued, you could declare this intention before you go into the meeting “May everyone present leave the meeting feeling heard and