Why Arnie is my new hero!
Still in awe after having finished Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autobiography “Total Recall”.
Even though I am not a big fan of autobiographies, I was recommended to give good old Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autobiography (called “Total Recall”) a go anyway. And boy oh boy was I surprised to learn just how hard this man has worked.
If I ask you to think about Mr. Schwarzenegger, you will probably think about Conan the Barbarian or Terminator. But his list of accomplishments is long, and in very different arenas of life. He has not just had one career in which he has excelled. At least, he has had four…
Schwarzenegger began lifting weights at the age of 15 and went on to win the Mr. Universe title at age 20 before winning the Mr. Olympia contest seven times. In 1980 he came out of retirement to compete in his last Mr. Olympia which he won. Schwarzenegger was training for his role in Conan and was in such good shape that he thought he might as well give it a final go before retirement.
Arnold made his first million – not from being a famed Hollywood star - but turning to real estate in the 1970s. Using the money, he made from bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger put a down payment on an apartment building. He quickly started benefiting from the rising real estate prices. And yes, he also made money on his fair share of action movies (some better than others).
And then he took a new U-turn in 2003. Strongly disagreeing with the way, the democrats were running the state of California, he turned to politics He was first elected on October 7, 2003, in a special recall. He was then re-elected in the 2006 California gubernatorial election, to serve a full term as governor. At the time, California was the fifth biggest economy in the world (in 2018 California’s economy has surpassed that of the United Kingdom to become the world's fourth largest).
Now, Arnie is back to acting. But that is not what I admire with him. Nor do I approve of the fact that he has had several affairs, while being married with his long-time life companion Maria Shriver. His marriage ended in 2011.
What I do admire is Arnold’s ability to set audacious goals and go for them despite how crazy they might sound. In 2009 Arnold did the commencement address for the University of Southern California, in which he pretty much sums up the recipe for his success.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 6 Rules of Success
Have a vision
Don’t listen to the naysayers
Break the rules
Don’t be afraid to fail – No plan B
Work like hell and advertise
Give back
1. Have a vision
As Arnie would put it: “When you have a goal, everything becomes easy. Visualizing your goal and going after it makes it fun! You got to have a purpose no matter what you do.”
We are all given exiting opportunities every day. Sure, a lot of us are even fearful of missing out. So, saying yes to that new job is that really supporting you in fulfilling your long-term vison?
So let me ask you a question. What is your vision in life?
I am trying to envision the life I want to life. Not just work-related, but full cycle. How much time and effort do I want to spend reading books and learning new things, time with my family, doing exercise and travel. The older I get, I come to realize, that I care less about what others think.
2. Do not listen to the naysayers
As Arnie would put it: “Whenever someone said to me it cannot be done, I heard it can be done. When they say no, I heard yes. They said it is not impossible, I heard it is possible. I am a strong believer what Nelson Mandela said that everything is always impossible until someone does it.”
You will meet a lot of people that will tell you that it cannot be done. Or they would start giving you advice on what they would do (even though you have not asked for their advice). You need to learn to ignore the noise.
So, let me ask you a question. Who – among your friends and/or co-workers – are encouraging you, and who is not?
I have learned to trust my own gut feeling more and more over the years. It is hard, and often I find myself in the trap of overanalyzing things (in my heard). But this far, my gut has not been wrong. So, I have learned not to seek approval of what I want to do by the outside world but trusting my instincts.
3. Break the rules
As Arnie would put it: “It is impossible to be a maverick or a true original if you’re too well behaved and don’t want to break the rules. You have to think outside the box. That is what I believe. After all, what is the point of being on this earth if all you want to do is be liked by everyone and avoid trouble?”
As Ricky Gervais so elegantly puts it: "We are on a rock travelling around 1 of 100 billion stars. Our species is 1 of over half a billion that have ever existed. Our chances of being born are about 1 in 400 trillion. You are not special, but you are fucking lucky. Enjoy your amazing life. You'll never exist again." In other words, do not worry so much about what others might think and start being you. It is now or never…
So, let me ask you a question. When was the last time you broke the rules?
When I was younger, I was very concerned with what other people would think of me. So I would think a long time about making the right choices. Getting in to the “right” education, getting the “right” job etc. However, as I am getting older, I have started to appreciate to listen to my self before I listen to others. And (as Client Eastwood of all people has pointed out), as you get older you try to do things that please you more. You get a little more selfish. You start thinking I want to do things where I enjoy myself.
4. Don’t be afraid to fail – No plan B
As Arnie would put it: “There’s nothing wrong with failing. You have to fail in order to climb that ladder. There’s no one that doesn’t fail, we all fail, it’s okay. What is not okay is that when you fail, you stay down. Whoever stays down is a loser and winners will fail and get up.”
Even though Arnold was hugely successful, he has had many failures along the way. He has lost bodybuilding championships, has made some horrible movies (have you seen Hercules in New York from 1969…), made waves as Governor of California, and his personal life has been under public scrutiny. But failing has not held Arnold back. He has been knocked down many times, but each time he has gotten back up again.
So let me ask you a question. Are you afraid of failing?
Ahh, this is a difficult one. I do not want to lose face, or attempt something that I might not succeed in. However, I have also learned, that I need to push my own comfort zone. Yes, I can be comfortable and let things be as they are, but then I will not change things.
5. Work like Hell and advertise
As Arnie would put it: “Early to Bed, Early to Raise, Work like Hell and Advertise.”
There is one recipe for success. Work hard. It does not fail. When Arnold first moved to the states, he could cramp in 6 hours of workout, work his physical labor brick-laying job, and attend business courses at university all at the same time. He slept only 6 hours a night and worked extremely hard to achieve his success. When approached by somebody saying “I don’t have time…”, his standard comment would be that you have 18 hours a day, and it is up to you to decide what you do with that time…and if you need more time, sleep faster.
So let me ask you a question. How much time do you allocate each day to realizing your overall vision?
I just love this video clip. We all have good excuses for not pursuing what we really want. But we are only cheating ourselves in the end. I am still trying to learn to swim front crawl, which is extremely difficult, when you have not learned it as a child. And yes, when the alarm clock goes off at 5am during the cold winter months in cold Denmark, is does seem like mission impossible to get out of bed. Sure, I fail sometimes, but for the most part I make it out of bed, which is the first important step.
6. Give back
As Arnie would put it: “Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.”
Arnold’s final rule is about giving back. He believes that in any path you take in life, you must always find a way to give back to your community, to your state, or your country.
So let me ask you a question. When was the last time you gave something back?
I am fortunate to live in one of the wealthiest countries ever to have existed in peacetime. I know this, and I am truly grateful. I have not volunteered to serve warm meals for the homeless or anything like that, but I am constantly aware of helping others where I can.
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Nobody is perfect. Nor is Arnold. But you got to admire his ability to set audacious goals for himself and go for them.