Arnold Schwarzenegger has been an actor, Mr. Universe, a state governor and a multi-millionaire, just to name a few things. He has had so much success in his life that he remains one of the best models of success in the United States. Recently he was interviewed by Tim Ferriss, the man who introduced the world to the 4 hour work week, and these are the ten lessons that came from that podcast.
1. Confidence comes from vision.
Regardless of which self-help book you read, it will inevitably tell you that you need to have a clear vision of where it is you want to be. When Tim brought up the image of Arnold at the Junior Mr. Europe contest and the confidence that showed on his face, Arnold replied “I wasn’t there to compete, I was there to win.” Because he had a clear vision of what it was he wanted, he was confident in what he was doing. He knew he would ultimately win Mr. Universe one day.
2. Take your shot.
All the way back in Arnolds beginning, he had to go out on a limb in order to make it to his first competition. He did what it took in order to get his shot at becoming Mr. Universe. When you believe that you have a shot at achieving your goal, you need to take it or you might miss it altogether. “There was this will there that no matter what it takes, even if I had to crawl to Germany… I had to be there.”
3. Psychological warfare.
Arnold was fascinated by psychology and he used it to his advantage. He would strike up a conversation with his competition and talk to them about their weaknesses, they would then think about them and end up sabotaging themselves. He believes that every sport is not only physical but also mental as well. Throughout his career he would learn to use others vulnerabilities to his advantage.
4. He never auditioned.
Though he would eventually end up becoming a world renowned actor, his plan didn’t initially include acting. But once he got into it he would have loved to be able to bring back the old muscle movies of the 50’s and 60’s. His role as Conan would be the gateway for his worldwide fame. Just because you don’t plan on something, if it still comes about, you should take advantage of the opportunity.
5. The naysayers.
As with everything, when you are confronted with people who want to tell you how you can’t do things, you need to just ignore them and do whatever it is that you want to do. A lot of producers and agents tried to tell Arnold that he would never make a good actor, look at his career, it speaks for itself. You aren’t the type of person who follows the crowd, so why would you listen when they tell you that you can’t do something?
6. Believe.
Though he could have given up and gone home before his career ever started, he believed in himself and he would not stop. It was when directors Bob Rafelson and James Cameron believed in him too that things changed for him. If you can believe in yourself long enough to see success it is all worth it. Even if it takes a long time, never stop believing in yourself.
7. Don’t rely on only one stream of income.
Arnold knew he would have to invest in other income sources in order to be able to compete in Mr. Universe and when he became an actor. He started creating multiple streams of income early on. He used competition winnings to invest in real estate which helped him to be able to get into acting. You should never put all of your eggs in one basket. You need to diversify your income from the beginning.
8. Find a partner to work with.
Arnold has Franco Columbu as a close friend, he has worked with him since he was working the competition circuit. Franco plays bad cop to Arnold’s good cop. They each rely on each other’s strengths in order to make it work. The same for any partnership, find someone who has strength where you are weak. Work together to accomplish your goals.
9. Don’t work on things you aren’t good at.
When you know that you are not good at something, you need to be careful about investing time and money into it as a business venture. For instance, Arnold knows he is no good with the finances for movies, which is why he never produced his own films. He won’t risk money or time where he knows he is weak, it’s a bad investment.
10. When you have a passion for it.
As with anything else, you need to have a passion in order to do things. You would never want to invest time or money into anything that you didn’t believe in. Arnold feels the same way, he is passionate about the after school programs for kids, so he is willing to invest in a documentary supporting after school activities for kids. As long as you do things with a real purpose, then you can be sure you are going in the right direction.
There are many lessons that you can draw from this podcast with Arnold. Though most of the interview was related to body building and his acting career, the principles remain the same. Believe in yourself, ignore negative people, go for your goals and do whatever it is you have a passion for. As long as you remain focused, there is no reason that you can’t succeed.
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