“Adversity causes some people to break, and other people to break records.” — Anon
The Governator
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
I love Arnold, warts and all. I’m not endorsing his immorality, or saying he’s an incredible actor. I’m say he’s an incredible entertainer and has achieved incredible things. Pretty much whatever he wanted to become best at, he did. He conquered bodybuilding, Hollywood, and he essentially gained the highest governmental role he could as a non-US born citizen.
Also, thanks for the reshare!
Todd,
I agree, Arnold is the epitome of someone who has realized the American dream.
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Thanks for the links, I am in good company.
I’m gong to practice my “soft skills,” as you describe in your article, this weekend.
Thanks so much for the mention Terry! Have a great weekend.
Thanks for the mention! It sounds like he wasn’t loved very much as a child. I guess it’s good he turned that into motivation…although it may also be the reason for his warts.
That’s a good point. Those negative experiences might have been not only his motivation for good, but also the reason that he periodically shoots himself in the foot.
It’s one of those things when someone says no you can’t or say you’re not good enough or I’m better than you that drives and motivates people. Not necessarily to say Ha, but to say this was my dream and I HAVE achieved it, I can achieve it and I’ll continue to grow. When people put us down or take away our dreams we have to fight for our own happiness. Arnold’s a good guy although his personal life doesn’t change the way I view him.
Yes, there are few things in the world that hardens one’s determination to do something than to have someone say that our dreams are beyond our reach.
I also found it interesting, from watching the video, that Arnold modeled his life after Reg Park, who was a champion bodybuilder then went on to make grade B “sword & sandal” movies in Europe. It speaks to the power of having a crystal clear goal, and having a person that you can emulate.
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[…] health care changes if we fall off the fiscal cliff was mention at Reach Financial Independence, Fix Em Up Rent Em Out, and Frugal […]
Glad you liked the Guest Post I wrote at CBB ( The Celebrate Like Scrooge Christmas Gift Exchange ).
Thanks for referring, and thanks to Canadian Budget Binder for the guest post opportunity.
Derek,
That was an excellent article. Keep up the good work!
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