5 great life lessons of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Do you lack motivation? Listen to the man of steel!

"People often ask me, what is the secret of success? And I always give them that shorter version of the secret: "You have to have huge biceps, be able to kill predators with your bare hands, and of course, you have to have such a charming Austrian accent. Without that, you have no chance," said Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The longer version of his answer is that he always followed these 5 rules:

Find and follow your dream

If you don't have a goal, then you're not going anywhere. You just spin in a circle and you won't find happiness.

I grew up after World War II. Austria, along with Germany, lost that war. There was a depression, a terrible economic crisis. I wanted to run away. Luckily, one day at school, I was watching a documentary about America. Then I wanted with all my heart to spend my life there. The only question was, how do I get there? Nobody had the money for travel! Fortunately, one day I came across a bodybuilding magazine. On the cover was a picture of a very muscular guy. "The world champion in bodybuilding got the role of Hercules." He was called Reg Park. He trained for 5 hours every day, every day, without exception. He became the champion of Great Britain, and then the world champion. Then he won the second title of world champion, and then the third title, and soon found himself in Rome, making a film about Hercules. From that moment on, I worked hard. I knew the purpose of everything I was doing and I found my passion. Therefore, be sure to find your dream, and then follow it.

Don't settle for small things

You should strive to rise to the stars. I didn't want to just appear in the movie. I wanted to be a movie star, to become the highest-paid entertainer. Think big.

Ignore negative people and bad comments

It is normal that when you have the right vision and strive to achieve big dreams, people around you will say: "You will not succeed, it is impossible." It all started when I became a bodybuilder at the age of 15. As soon as I said that I wanted to be a world champion, that I wanted to be Mr. Universe, they told me: "Are you normal? Bodybuilding is an American sport, forget it! That's crazy!" Then, when I wanted to enter the world of show business, after winning 13 world bodybuilding titles, I said: "I want to be like Reg Park. I want to be Hercules, I want to make movies." However, whenever I went to meetings with agents and managers, their reaction was, “Haha Arnold, you’re so funny. Do you want to be the lead actor? You do not say. First of all, let's look at your body - you're huge, a real monster. And just your speech, I cringe as I listen to you. What kind of strange German accent is that, and only your last name? Burnt steak or something? Do you think that people will rush to the cinemas because the burnt steak is starring in the movie?"

Imagine that, whichever side I turned to, there would be someone who would say, "No way, forget it."

Luckily, I didn’t listen to them. I started taking acting classes, English language classes, and even strong accent removal classes. Suddenly, little things started happening. I got a small role in one TV series, and then another, and then I got the lead role in the movie "Conan, the Barbarian".

He works tirelessly

You don't want to fail because you haven't tried hard enough. It doesn't matter what you do, there is no science without pain.

Don't just take it, give something in return

Instead of constantly looking in the mirror and seeing your reflection, break it and then you will be free to see behind that mirror as well. You will see millions and millions of people who need your help. That's why I tried to use every opportunity to give something in return. I started to train disabled Olympians, I started with extracurricular activities for the most endangered children, in order to separate them from drugs, gangs, and violence. Everyone can do something for their community and neighborhood. In the end, everything is in our hands.

Have a vision, make big plans, ignore negative people, work hard, give something in return and change this world! Because if we don't, who will? If we don't want it now, when will we, says Arnold.