Throw Down The Gauntlet

Ray Dalio once said, ~Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals. You get better at this game through practice. The game consists of a series of choices that have consequences. You can't stop the problems and choices from coming at you, so it's better to learn how to deal with them.~ Let me ask you this question, have you ever in your life felt as if you were participating in the full contact game that those of us of a certain age grew up watching called American Gladiators. For it’s a thought provoking situation indeed as we’re stepping into the so called gladiator arena of life facing off against/going toe to toe with the gladiators representing our own thoughts, feelings, and/or emotions that are considered to be a force to be reckoned with.

If you think about it, the American Gladiator event known as “Joust”and scheduling time as adults with one’s best buds/gal pals have a tremendous amount of similarities. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all found ourselves standing on a metaphorical platform having a back and forth battle, so to speak, in trying to make time to physically meet up with each other. Although we’re not hitting each other with pugil sticks and knocking off each other’s platform, we can certainly be exchanging hits of frustration and disappointment when we’re unable to mutually agree on a designated time/date/location to get together. Unfortunately, when we reach adulthood not being able to meet up for a much needed gathering can most definitely knock anyone off their platform, but it doesn’t completely eliminate the friendship shared amongst your inner circle.

Without a doubt, the event “Assault” is a perfect representation of not only the single life but the dating scene as well. Of course, the main goal of the event is to avoid getting hit while making your way to different areas with an assortment of “weapons” that will help in trying to hit the red target located right above/behind the gladiator that’s trying to stop you. Thinking about it further, when it comes to matters of the heart pertaining to love/true love you do your best in using the “weapons” you have at your disposal to hit the red target that is a person’s heart in hopes of not getting hit with the proverbial tennis balls of rejection. Hey, it’s an absolute challenge to face and whether you succeeded or failed in establishing a strong worthwhile relationship you at least did your best in making every shot you made count.

For the question can be asked to those who watched American Gladiators and the event called “The Wall”: Did you ever think to yourself while sitting at home you could pull off reaching the top without getting pulled down by a gladiator? Hey, we all did knowing you’re given a 10 second head start. In that same context, climbing the 32ft summit from the show is synonymous with the climbing the ladder of success involving one’s professional career goals. Unfortunately, while making the climb up to reach the next level there are quite possibly individuals you may or may not know who are trying to pull you down and stop you from achieving any sort of success. What it primarily comes down to is keeping your focus on working hard to ascend instead of losing it because you were distracted by someone/something that will pull you down.

In retrospect, there can most definitely be a tremendous amount of pressure placed on our own shoulders to not be on the losing end when we participate in the American Gladiator area known as life. Oftentimes, it seems like the all events you’ve gone through/participated in thus far, whether we won or lost, have led up to one’s own version of the Eliminator, which is especially challenging mentally, emotionally, physically, and even spiritually. For the most part, you do your best in being prepared to contend with the gladiators that we’re familiar with, but it’s the ones we’re unfamiliar with that can be incredibly tough to say the least. Ultimately, we just have to put our quintessential game faces on, step up to those aforementioned tough gladiators we haven’t contended with yet, and without any fear whatsoever throw down the gauntlet.