I watched the Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary on Netflix last week. If you haven’t seen it yet, I can’t recommend it enough. Three episodes, each about a different chapter in his life. Bodybuilding. Acting. Politics.
I have read quite a bit on Arnie over the years. I started his autobiography, Total Recall, last summer (but never actually finished it off) – so a lot of what was talked about in the documentary, I already knew. But it was great to see it all together in a single format. And especially great to hear Arnie tell the stories himself as I think it is impossible not to find him an impressive, likeable and interesting character.
Achieving just one of the feats that Arnie did in a lifetime would make anybody be considered highly successful. But to achieve the amount of things he did, in multiple different fields, is unique and incredible – almost superhuman – like many of the characters he played in the movies!
Just some of Schwarzenegger’s successes were:
- He was the youngest Mr Universe ever at the age of 20
- He had a successful bricklaying business at age 21
- He had a mail-order business selling exercise equipment and instructional videos
- His is one of the world’s biggest stars with his movies have grossed over $4 billion
- He was a millionaire from property investment before he even made a movie
- He co-founded the restaurant chain Planet Hollywood, at its time one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world
- He is a prolific philanthropist, raising millions for causes in health, fitness, education and environmental concern.
Often people look at movie stars and think they got lucky for being in the right place at the right time. Handsome or beautiful people who caught someone’s eye, made a movie and then made millions living in the public eye doing a job than anyone could do.
This is utter rubbish at the best of times and certainly impossible for a multi-disciplined, 60+ year success story like Arnold. So how did he do it? And what can the rest of us learn, what character attributes can we develop, to turn us into ‘Predators’ of success!
Determination
Schwarzenegger’s unwavering determination played a vital role in his success. He set ambitious goals and worked tirelessly to achieve them, never giving up despite challenges. And no matter how much he achieved, he never got complacent, always striving to achieve more.
Discipline
One of Schwarzenegger’s defining qualities is his extraordinary discipline. He maintained a strict workout regimen, followed a healthy diet, and prioritised his goals, showing immense self-control.
Resilience
Schwarzenegger faced numerous setbacks and obstacles throughout his life, but he always bounced back stronger. He demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity and turned his failures into steppingstones.
Vision
Arnold had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish. From his bodybuilding career to Hollywood stardom and political pursuits, he consistently set his sights on achieving greatness.
Passion
Schwarzenegger’s passion for bodybuilding, acting, and public service fuelled his drive to succeed. His enthusiasm was infectious and inspired others to pursue their own passions.
Work Ethic
Arnold is renowned for his unparalleled work ethic. He understood the value of hard work and consistently put in the effort needed to excel in his endeavours.
Adaptability
Schwarzenegger seamlessly transitioned from bodybuilding to acting and later to politics, showcasing his adaptability. He embraced new challenges and continuously evolved to stay relevant.
Confidence
Confidence played a significant role in Schwarzenegger’s success. He believed in himself and his abilities, which enabled him to take risks and overcome self-doubt.
Constant Learning
Schwarzenegger never stopped learning and growing. He actively sought knowledge, honed his skills, and sought guidance from mentors, always striving to improve himself.
Charisma
Arnold possesses a charismatic personality that captivates people. His charm, humour, and ability to connect with others have been instrumental in his success in various domains.
As I went back to check what I had written above I realised that whilst written in the past tense, as most of his successes and career is historical now, I would actually say the most impressive characteristic and real reason for his huge and continuing success is that you could actually rewrite all the above in the present tense.
Even now, at the age of 75, with all those achievements under his belt and hundreds of millions in the bank, he doesn’t rest. He is always learning, growing, giving, sharing and driving forwards with discipline and determination.
Whenever I write or talk, I always want to think that EVERYONE can take something away from it and immediately implement something towards their success. Looking at that list of a terminator above may be overwhelming for many, and you could use that as an excuse not to start.
So, let me give you just one thing that can be implemented by anyone, anywhere, in any field or any area of life. This is my translation from watching the documentary and something that even though I consider myself good at it anyway, this made me want to push further – VOLUME.
The volume (or quantity) of Arnold’s workload was insane! When he was a body builder, he would go in to training and do 10 (yes TEN!) sets of each exercise, writing them up on the gym wall and chalking them off after he had completed each one.
That is a serious number! Now look, I am not here to give gym and fitness advice – I already had about 35 comments on Instagram yesterday when I made a post about me being in the gym and using this inspiration to make me now do 5 sets of every exercise instead of the usual 2 or 3 most people do.
But what I am here to tell you is that you can outwork your way to success.
It doesn’t matter what you are doing – the gym, telesales, real estate negotiation, being a lawyer, walking dogs – anything! You are fully in control of your ability to do more than the next person and outwork your way to greatness.
And let me give you some great news…… The bar has been set fucking low!!
The vast majority of people out there are lazy, excuse ridden bums. Sat on their asses, dishing out options and advice on everything, whilst doing fuck all!
So, when someone is telling you that you are working too hard, or doing too much, or need to slow down or take a break – take a look at them and ask yourself if they are a shining example of someone you would like to be like. I highly, highly doubt it.
I don’t know a successful person who does too little of an activity, and I don’t know an unsuccessful person who does too much of an activity.
Whenever I have fired a shit person from one of my organisations, someone who has failed to meet targets or achieve anything, I always take a quick look in their email account when changing the password after they leave. Guess what I find……. FUCK ALL!
People with literally 2, 3, 5, 10 outbound emails in their sent box per day. Seriously!! I have sent more than 10 emails whilst doing my Instagram posts and doing a poo whilst also cleaning my teeth in the morning! Genuinely. If you think I am saying that for affect then think again. My outbound emails are in the 100’s each day – and if you have ever watched any episodes of my daily vlog, Million Dollar Days, then you will know how many calls I make each day.
But this isn’t because I am clever or special. It isn’t a skill that took me years to develop – it is a simple work ethic that you can apply today too.
I have genuinely had sales’ people tell me how difficult the market is, and how there are very few deals around, whilst only sending 5 or 6 emails to potential prospects in a day!
I can’t tell you the right number for the output of each individual activity you are all doing – but you need to make it more than everyone else.
Find a successful person. See what they are doing – AND DO MORE! I like to use the number 100 as a rule of thumb – it is far from exact but is miles ahead of most other people believe me.
- 100 outbound calls per day
- 100 emails per day
- 100 press ups per day
- Etc etc etc…
I promise you, most inadequacies can be masked or overcome with a killer work ethic.
So, get out there – well finish reading this newsletter first – and go and increase your volume in whatever activities you are doing. Then in the next 14 – 30 days I want you to send me an email and tell me what improvements you have made and what success stories you have. I GUARANTEE you will have something to tell me!
For videos where I chat to celebrities, business gurus and social media influencers about business, their inspiration, investment opportunities, hopes and dreams – a bit of everything! – visit my YouTube channel and for more topical, fun and above all educational business blogs follow me on LinkedIn.
