Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Terminator, The Gov - as a good writer? Of course. We know, however, that his autobiography, published in the late 70's never won a Pulitzer, but it did in my mind when I first read it. It still moves me today. What makes this book so compelling? Arnold chose to make the story of his life (up that that point, anyway) short, punchy and a quick read. In fact the biographical part comprises only about half of its pages. The other half is a primer on working out. The pace of the book is tremendous, just like the pace of a workout for an elite bodybuilder.
There is one short paragraph that speaks volumes to me about him. It is near the end of Chapter 3 right after Arnold places 2nd to Chet Yorton in his first Mr. Universe contest. His friends recognized his talent and told him next year he was sure to win. Arnold sensed they were right. But the outcome was still uncertain. Who knows what could happen in a year? Of this he says:
"I was relying on one thing. What I had more than anyone else was
drive. I was hungrier than anybody. I wanted it so badly it hurt. I
knew there could be no one else in the world who wanted this title
as much as I did."
Can you feel the intensity in his words? His drive? His ambition? That is what makes his bio so interesting. It's not a minute by minute retelling of his life. It is a look into his mind.
In the last year I've read three really good book about the brain and developing talent. (The Brain That Changes Itself, The Talent Code and Talent is Overrated.) All are good. I would recommend them to anybody. The modern day versions can quantify their conclusions using examples supplemented with the most recent brain research and the current theory of mylenation: But at the same time they offer nothing more than what I find in Arnold's book. Let's take a look at what made Arnold the greatest bodybuilder of his generation.
1. Focus. Concentration. Take a look at this quote from Chapter 1: "I'm not exactly sure why I chose bodybuilding, except that I loved it. I loved it from the first moment my fingers closed around a barbell and I felt the challenge and exhilaration of hoisting the heavy steel plates above my head." That's focus. Later on when he moves to Munich and owns his own gym he talks about putting little cards on the mirror in his bathroom so when he was shaving he could see what his workout would be that day. Every morning he would try to think about nothing else but his workout from the moment he woke up. By the time he got to the gym already psyched, pumped and ready to go.
This kind of concentration is probably the single most important key to achievement in any endeavor, be it a sport, business, writing or chess.
2. Hard Work. Arnold put in his time at the gym every day, sometimes twice a day with no let up. When he got back to Munich after the Mr. Universe competition his friends picked him up at the airport and they had a big celebration. In the midst of this Arnie's thoughts were far away. He was anxious to get back to the gym the next morning and start training for next years contest!
3. Emotional and Visual Engagement. When working out he used visualization too. He would imagine his biceps were mountains, his lats were the wings of a 747 and the weights themselves were planets. Outrageous? Yes. But these were (and are) a great method to force his muscles to work harder. (And grow bigger.) At the same time he systematically eliminated negative input from his life. Anything that prevented him from total concentration was pared away.
4. Training Partners. This belief came early, while still a teen. He liked to have knowledgeable and hard working people around him. He noticed there were times when he didn't feel very motivated. He was lethargic and couldn't lift anywhere near the same weight. His partner at the time, a doctor, recognized that he needed some extra motivation and would challenge the youth to do more. This worked quite well. Arnold came to see his workouts as miniature competitions. Winning these little daily victories prepared him for the big ones later on.
5. Big Picture. Early on Arnold saw bodybuilding as a means to an end. In his teens he told his parents his goal was to become the best bodybuilder in the world, move to America and make movies. His parents thought he was crazy. Maybe he was, a little. Bodybuilding was a vehicle for his ambition, a stepping stone to greater things.
Once Arnold had achieved his goals in the athletic world, he would use that same drive, work ethic and sense of confidence and apply them to whatever he wanted, business, acting and ultimately politics. All of us can benefit from his example.
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