“Adversity causes some people to break, and other people to break records.” — Anon
I think one of the most powerful motivations in my life is when someone tells me that I can’t do something.
In his autobiography, Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger puts it this way:
Sometimes you have to appreciate the very people and circumstances that traumatized you. Today I hail the strictness of my father, and my whole upbringing, and the fact that I didn’t have anything that I wanted in Austria, because those were the very factors that made me hungry.
Every time he hit me. Every time he said my weight training was garbage, that I should do something useful and go out and chop wood. Every time he disapproved of me or embarrassed me, it put fuel on the fire in my belly. It drove me and motivated me.
What strikes me, is that it wasn’t the fact that Arnold was tormented that made him into the over-achieving force of nature that he became (warts and all), it was the the way that he used that ordeal as motivation to reach his goals.
Arnold’s motivational story:
My favorite blog articles for the week:
- Best Will Smith Quotes at Fealessmen.com
- Seasonal Safety Tips for Fireplaces and Chimneys at Louisville Gals.com
- College Loan Consolidation Advice In A Debt Laden World at Untemplater.com
- How are Your Soft Skills? atKrantCents.com
- First Steps to Investing in the Stock Market at Frugal Rules
- 5 Family Activities I’m looking forward to this Winter at Frugal Habits
- Is Debt Consolidation an Opportunity – or a Trap? at WorkSaveLive
- The Celebrate Like Scrooge Christmas Gift Exchange at Canadian Budget Binder
- What Will the Fiscal Cliff Mean to Health Care? at Eyes on the Dollar
- Paying For Self Employment Income Tax Year Round at Modest Money
- What Does $1 Mean To You? at I heart budgets
- 12 Super Awkward Money Moments at Your Savings Angels
- My Plan for Early Retirement at Outlier Model
Tags: Arnold on Motivation, Arnold Schwarzenegger, doing what people say you can't do, Governator, inspiration, put fuel on the fire, self reliance, Terry Sprouse, Total Recall, use past experiences as motivation, use setbacks and trials as motivation to succeed
Thanks for the mention. I find it motivating as well when someone says I can’t do something. I usually get fired up to prove them wrong. Sometimes they end up being right, but I have to see for myself and give it my best shot.
I agree.
Even if the naysayers are right and we fail, as Teddy Roosevelt says, at least we are in the arena battling for what we believe in, and not just sitting on the sidelines criticizing.
We score a moral victory just from the heroic effort of trying to do what may seem impossible.
One of my favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes is:
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.
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Terry where have you been?! Haven’t seen you around the webs for a while.
Todd,
Thanks for the note.
I had a family member who was having some health problems, but that situation is improving now.
I’m also channeling the energy that I would normally use writing one or two blog articles per week into putting the finishing touches on my new book.
I should return to blogging again in the next few weeks.
Sorry to hear about the challenging situation with the family member’s health! Glad to know you’ll be back around the internets soon, and I look forward to hearing more about your new book!!
I think that you were right on with this article. Terry I hope you keep writing more blogs like this one. I like this one Terry.
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