So, as I already mentioned in the earlier posts I had read his book before but hearing his story from the man itself when I was in Sydney really made me want to share some cool insights into being successful from one of the most successful individuals on the planet with you. I write them down here copied from my notebook summed up in a nutshell with my take on what he said -note I'm paraphrasing the quotes below - I can't write that fast haha, anyways I hope this helps you achieve your own goals and conquer your own kingdom :) I know these tips inspire me to achieve mine and one day soon you'll see me in theaters everywhere :)
Arnolds 5 rules for success
1. Find your vision and follow it.
Work 5-6 hours a day on your goal, always be hungry -aim to be number one and stay driven. While others had PHD's he said he was a Professor of Action :)
Pick a mentor, someone who has done what you are aiming to do,. Without a mentor you are just a boat in the ocean, floating without a purpose. His was Reg Park, a bodybuilder who played the original Hercules.
Every rep he used to do while working out was one rep closer to making his vision a reality, he liked to imagine each weight he lifted wasn't weights but trophies, and around him wasn't the gym, but an audience cheering him on. This is the same when he was acting and doing politics, each success leads on to more success.
When it came to stunt work on his films he didn't complain. He had to crawl on rocks for 7-8 takes in Conan so when he started bleeding, the director concerned asked him, "don't you feel pain?", Arnold replied, "No, The only thing I see is the finished scene, me, crawling over these rocks to chop Thulsa Doom's head off to the cries of my enemies and the lamentations of the women". He made the whole audience all laugh when he said that haha.
He also said that when he became Governor he said ,"California had a 100 year old sewer system, *pause* That's shitty I think." and he redone the whole city, The man is an entertainer and gets the job done :)
2. Never ever think small.
He didn't want to be just a body builder, he wanted to be a champion. Not just an actor, but the highest paid superstar, and no, he didn't want to run for a measly councilman, he wanted to be The Governor of California. And he did.
Don't be afraid to fall, you are not that far off the ground so its not going to hurt at all, you only fail if you don't get back up.
He wanted California to grow, not just win the polls, but he wanted to see cranes everywhere, a city full of growth.
3. Ignore the naysayers.
When they said it was impossible, he heard, It's possible, When they said no, he heard yes.
He told a story of when he first wanted to be like his mentor Reg park and transition from being a bodybuilder to an actor, his agent told him 'Hey schwarzenschintzel, Your accent sucks, nobody wants to listen to that, your too big, and whats with the name? Who the hell can remember that? "( he acted this all out brilliantly by the way) He kept getting offered typecast roles of nazi officers, wrestlers and bouncers, Then he said to the crowd, The things that these sort of people said that would make him bad, ended up making him great. Bad Name? well now it's known the whole world over, Too big? It was his size that made him the ideal actor to play Conan and this was his big break, and the accent? Those three words "I'll be back" being famous worldwide from his Terminator movie was because of his ridiculous accent. He built his career on who he is, not what people say he should be like. So Ignore the naysayers.
4. Work your butt off.
Sleep 6 hours a day, then you still have 18 hours a day to do something, don't give excuses like you don't have time to read a book, do some exercise or work towards your goals. Read everyday.
Somebody once said to him, but how can I? I sleep for 8 hours? Arnold replied, 'Sleep faster'. Dude had me laughing so much..
He used to always work out, even when he was driving tanks while in the army, he used to put his dumbbells in his toolbox and take them out and work out on breaks :) wow.
Success breeds popularity.
Also gave some bodybuilding tips such as, reps until fail in every set, its how he grew so much. That to be a champion when you are working out, imagine you are inside your muscles, stretching and tensing, right down to the bone with each rep. Really feel each rep.
5. Don't just take, give back.
Tear down the mirror you spend so much time in front of and see the millions of people out there that need your help. Eventually he brought his tank to America as he loved it so much and now drives it on a ranch for the amusement of kids in an after school program, and as much as he loves red carpets he's rather play chess with a kid in an after school program. To this day hes still running the power lifting program for special needs and he's succeeded in his fitness crusade, now there are gyms all across the world in police stations, prisons etc. Now he wants to tackle the environmental crusade and so far so good :)
An audience member asks him what he does to relax? Arnold replied he loves his jobs and that itself is how he relaxes.
He finished off the speech with some audience questions and I learnt he s currently working on King Conan, Terminator 5 which shoots in January 2014 and Triplets with Danny Devito and Eddie Murphy. He quipped that its the funniest film that any of them have made since Twins. Haha :) He also said some of our favorite lines, when an audience member quoted to him....'Dillon, you son of a bitch!...', Instead of reacting strongly, Arnold smiled and said, 'Get to the chopper'. It was sooo funny!
I had a great time at this conference and took away alot of fun lessons, so here's to applying them and I hope you can take something from this as well, Think Big!!! :)
