5 Life Lessons I Learned From Arnold Schwarzenegger

Even though Arnold Schwarzenegger’s parental home is just a two-hour drive from where I live, I never really cared about him.

While he’s known across the globe for his movies and his career as the Governor of California, he’s even more beloved here in Austria. 

Young men admire him, gyms have his posters all over the walls, and he’s an idol for thousands of people who are dreaming of escaping the ordinary and chasing their dreams.

The same is true for a few friends of mine who are into bodybuilding and fitness and thus deeply admire Arnold. So when he held a keynote in Germany 1.5 years ago, we traveled six hours to see him live on stage in Munich. And admittedly, a few moments after he stepped on the stage, I became a fan too.

I fell in love with his energy and no-bullshit mentality and paid close attention to his famous teachings about life and success.

The worst thing you can be is the same as everybody else

Even though Arnold had idols, he managed to be unique and build a personal brand that is well known for its strong values.

While many young people are desperately trying to adapt to the expectations and standards of modern society, Arnold is encouraging them to do the contrary. He empowers young men and women to be their unique selves and to take the path less traveled.

When Arnold initially started with bodybuilding and told his friends and family, that he was dreaming about going to the U.S., they laughed at him.

Once he arrived in the U.S., he still was an outsider because of his accent and his massive body. Yet, he never stopped pushing the boundaries, and eventually, his unique accent and large body led to his role as the famous Terminator.

Arnold aimed to live the American Dream from a young age, and despite naysayers and setbacks, he didn’t shrink back from his vision. He knew what he was after, had a massive vision, and kept going until he finally achieved the results he desired.

You can have results or excuses, not both

,,If you don’t find the time, if you don’t do the work, you don’t get the results.’’

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the living proof that hard work pays off. First, he developed massive discipline in the gym to become a well-known bodybuilder. Once he received the Mister Universe title, he decided to become an actor and, again, worked harder than most other people.

When he got to the U.S., Arnold took speaking and accent removal lessons so that he could apply for acting roles. While hundreds of people might have been more talented or gifted, Arnold beat them through hard work.

According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, hard work always beats talent. Additionally, he mentions that the greatest regret you can have in life is to fail because you didn’t work hard enough for your dreams.

Putting in an extra hour, pushing the bar one more time, or writing 100 more words might not feel comfortable at the very moment, yet, in the long run, your work determines your results.

Start wide, expand further, and never look back

Even though Arnold Schwarzenegger grew up in a small-ish town in Austria, his dreams and goals were huge.

One day they watched a documentary about the USA at school, and he immediately knew that’s where he wanted to go. The American Dream became his dream, and even though he had no idea about how to get there, he knew he would.

Throughout his entire life, Arnold had zero advantages compared to others. Yet, he had more dedication and a stronger will to succeed than most other people.

He didn’t care where he was. Instead, he focused on where he wanted to go and worked his ass off for years and decades to achieve his desired results.

There is always room for one more person on the top

Most people never even start chasing their dreams because they don’t believe in themselves. They rather come up with excuses on why the market is saturated, or it’s hard to get started instead of actually taking action.

According to Arnold, there’s always enough room for one more person on the top. And if it’s not you taking up that spot, it’s going to be someone else.

Our world is in constant motion, and every day, people are taking risks and fulfilling their wildest dreams. The vast majority, however, prefer sitting on the couch and looking for excuses on why something might not work out.

Yet, the reality is that your thoughts always create your reality. If you don’t believe that you deserve being on the top, nobody else will do so. If you, however, trust in your abilities, go the extra mile and believe that you can be on the top of your field, nothing can ever stop you.

Ignore the naysayers

When Arnold started telling people about his American Dream, they didn’t take him seriously. Neither his family nor his friends believed he could get even close to what he was dreaming of.

Yet, Arnold knew that this was their reality, not his. Instead of listening to people that are not ahead of him, he ignored the negative voices. If he would’ve listened to his naysayers, he’d probably still be living in his hometown, spending his entire life doing a job he hated. But instead, he took massive action, ignored the haters and negativity, sharpened his vision, and trusted in himself.

No matter what you dream of, you’ll always come across people who’ll try to talk you out of it because the average person doesn’t think big. Most people want security, safety, and a well-organized life. They don’t want to be bothered with huge dreams and massive aspirations.

And while that’s totally fine, you need to be careful about how seriously you take the opinion of such people.

If you start accepting their advice, you’ll likely end up where they are. If you, however, want to go further, you need to stop listening to the naysayers and surround yourself with those who dream even bigger than you.