This Arnold Schwarzenegger motivation post is one of the most valuable posts on the entire blog period. Take the following lessons & advice to heart, spend time thinking about what it really means and how you can relate to it.
It is not my internet marketing skills that have led to my success…
It is the mindset behind it.
This post personally resonates with my own journey over the years…
Live and breathe what you are about to learn.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most successful and ambitious men of all time. He has achieved more in his life than most can even begin to imagine…
Even when everyone is telling him he is wrong and the odds are stacked against him.
A few weeks ago one of my clients introduced me to a video where Arnold explains how he has been so successful. You can watch the video at the end of the post.
A reader left a comment on the post and I invited them to expand it into a full post.
What Will I Learn?
Ryan Biddulph is a digital nomad who lives, travels and blogs on the road with his blog BloggingFromParadise.com.
He wrote an awesome comment on the blog in response to the video.
I invited him to expand on that and turn it into a full blown guest post.
Arnold is the man. I’m not saying that because I was a former bodybuilder who can recite every line from the movie “Pumping Iron.”
He’s the man because he reached 3 absolutely, positively, ridiculously ambitious goals that few folks on earth ever reach….by themselves.
This guy scored the triple play and every person on this planet needs Arnold Schwarzenegger motivation levels in their life.
Consider this: what type of time, energy, focus, drive and smart work do you need to put into being Mr. Olympia once, let alone, 6 times? He also won Mr. Universe 5 times.
Mind-boggling.
Arnold became the highest grossing and most well known movie star of his day. If someone achieved that goal alone in their life you better believe they’d be deemed a stunning success.
He also became a Republican governor of a state traditionally dominated by Democrats.
Some astute political pundits would call this achievement the greatest of Arnold’s career because overcoming the “party line” mentality in most US states is often an impossible feat for candidates.
Did I mention that Arnold Schwarzenegger became virtually a millionaire before he even started bodybuilding in the States? He and a few friends ran wildly successful mail order and construction businesses when he was an unknown.
How did one man reach the pinnacle of bodybuilding, film, and just about the pinnacle of American politics in one lifetime?
Arnold mentioned in the bodybuilding movie Pumping Iron that:
“I have thrown up in the gym many times. It’s all worth it.”
He worked out so intensely that he would sometimes vomit after doing a set. He saw the goal of being Mr. Olympia and didn’t care about any momentary discomfort he experienced to reach that point.
Arnold is an idol of mine because I learned early on in my bodybuilding career that if I wanted to grow I had to become super uncomfortable at times.
I transferred that same mindset to my blogging career. I write 4000 to 6000 words daily. No excuses, no complaints, no “putting it off for another day.”
I have-
No matter how uncomfortable I feel, I write. Growing is so darn freeing but it’s a bit unpleasant at times.
Stretch. Reach a bit beyond. Practice writing. Tweak your copy. Submit guest posts to authority blogs. Push yourself.
You’ll find that when you dive into uncomfortable areas you’ll free yourself from constricting limiting beliefs.
Arnold didn’t try to win the Mr. O, to become the biggest star in Hollywood and to become a Republican governor in California all at once. He devoted all of his creative energies to 1 chief purpose at a time.
Doing so helped him reach the top. After each major achievement he chose to move on to a new definite major purpose. He may have held a vision of himself achieving each goal but he never tried to do more than 1 thing extraordinarily well.
Where your attention and energy goes, grows.
Look at Matt, the wildly successful owner of this blog.
He is an SEO and affiliate marketing wizard. Both niches work so well together, so he devotes almost all of his creative energies to mastering SEO and affiliate marketing.
Evidence of his intent is his stunning success.
Stop trying to master:
Devote your creative energies to doing 1 thing really well, like Arnold, and like Matt, and you’ll become successful so much more quickly.
Arnold often shares how he was the product of a strict, conservative upbringing in Austria.
He was regularly punished for wanting to stand out from the crowd. He would see bodybuilders and movie stars in magazines from the USA and dreamed of being free, of expressing himself, and of being super successful.
He walked for miles to visit the nearest gym in Austria and sometimes broke into the gym to get his pump on. No matter how much his family tried to reign him in he held onto his dream and faced resistance to make his dream a reality.
I had 4 cents 5 years ago, in my wallet. I was $50,000 in debt at that time.
Today I’m a pro blogging, island hopping, internet lifestyle junkie with a million dollar view from a jungle cliff as I’m writing these words. The place where we’re living is about 50 meters above the bay and the Pacific Ocean in Savusavu, Fiji.
I had to dream big to make this life a reality and to get through all types of resistance.
I’ve read about countless internet marketers who experienced all types of hardship but they kept their dreams alive and they became stunning successes.
When you face resistance, hold your dreams tightly.
If you want to live the internet lifestyle, or if you want to quit your 9-5 to work from home to be with your family, hold this dream in mind to propel yourself through rough times.
After Arnold moved to the States he made a small fortune running a few prospering businesses. Having access to steady cash flow allowed him to spend hours each day working out, so he could chase his dream of being Mr. Olympia.
He had to juggle tasks and become ruthless with his time. As you can see, his strategy has worked quite well.
I read once that during the filming of the 3rd Terminator movie, Ahhhnold would wake at 4 AM to workout. He hit the set after the early morning workout session and would put in 12 to 15 hours filming.
At night, he’d put in a second workout session so he could look buff despite being in his 50’s.
He’s always made the sacrifices necessary to be the best.
Naturally, he became the best.
You’d be wise to hold onto your day job to properly fund your online dreams. Pad your savings while devoting 2-3 hours each weekday to grow your online venture.
Spend 6 to 8 or even 10 hours on your off days to grow a sustainable, prospering online business.
If you’re a full-time online entrepreneur, build your day around what you value –
You’ll soon learn that sacrifice is releasing something of a lower nature to make room for something of a higher nature.
Interested in entrepreneurship? Check out these entrepreneurial statistics.
When Arnold decided he wanted to become the biggest movie star in the world studio folks laughed at him. His accent was too strong – in their minds – so terrible, that his voice was dubbed over in the film “Hercules in New York.”
Arnold said:
“It was very difficult for me in the beginning. I was told by agents and casting people that my body was too weird, that I had a funny accent, and that my name was too long. You name it, and they told me that I had to change it. Basically, everywhere I turned I was told that I had no chance.”
He even played a deaf-mute hitman in his second movie because studio folks didn’t want him to speak.
Arnold kept at it until he became one of the highest-grossing movie stars of all time.
Don’t give up when times are tough. Simply humble yourself. If you haven’t made a cent online, I’ve been there. Virtually all of us have. The folks who become the pros simply knew why they wanted to succeed and held that reason through all of the resistance they faced.
Pay your dues. Craft brilliantly insightful, helpful comments on authority blogs. Create stunningly valuable, in-depth resource type posts as Matt does right here on this blog.
If you create value persistently you’ll reap the rewards now or later. Sow. Reap. Pay your dues and in time you’ll succeed wildly.
“I’ll be back.”
Who doesn’t know that movie line? It’s iconic. We can all recite it in Arnold’s voice.
Ahh, the accent. His biggest weakness made him an icon.
Although he took English lessons to become fluent he explicitly did not try to remove his Austrian accent because he knew it made stand out.
Brilliant, right?
As he stayed true to himself, and became more and more popular, the very accent that forced many short-sighted casting agents to make this guy play a deaf mute made him the biggest and wealthiest movie star on the planet during his heyday.
The same accent made him an icon, an icon that parlayed his fame and political savvy into being a Republican governor in the heavily Democratic, huge state of California.
Be true to you. In time, your “weirdness” or “weakness” will become your greatest strength because what you are trying to hide will make you remarkable, admirable and if you keep at this game online, it may just make you world-renowned.
Your Turn
What success lessons have you learned from Arnold Schwarzenegger?
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Legendary. Arnold really is one of the most inspirational characters as well as entertaining.As for writing 6000 words every day… damn. I’m burned out at 2000 and take the rest of the week to recover.. 😉
Hahaha got to get your hustle!
He makes me proud to be from Austria, he is the man ;)Great Post, ty m8!
Couldn’t have said it better. You might not believe this but today morning only I was thinking of Arnold & the success he achieved. And now reading the post. I hope this post will start the fire in me & may help me in achieving my success asap.Thanks for writing this epic post!
Haha its a strange world 🙂
Amazing post….. Do what people don’t want to do and stay focus and persistent
Summed it up nicely!
What an inspiring post! I really enjoy reading it!
Hope it hit you in the heart!
Awesome post indeed, Ryan! ;)Hard work always pays off!!.. but I don’t really think we should hope to achieve something that “historical figures” like Arnie have achieved.I mean you can achieve a lot if you work real hard, but if your expectations would be ten times bigger – you won’t feel satisfied and happy.Did you read the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell? He studied the success of many famous people and found out that something we call “luck” is a very heavy factor.But luck only comes to those who work hard, right? What do you think about luck? 🙂
Reach for the stars and you might just hit the sky.Luck is an excuse for lazyness or a self justification for someones own unsuccess. Eg. I can’t believe how lucky they are, when the reality is they shed blood, sweat and tears to achieve things.
Hi Ryan,It’s my first time to Matt’s website because of you!!!!We are back to that tricky area of what makes greatness? Why does one rise to the top while others don’t?In Arnold’s case, as with us all, it’s the uncompromising tenacity to find your dreams and then have the courage to live it!!!!!It’s easy to have a single focus when you have clarity. The kind of clarity that offers tunnel vision and where distractions are just short term barriers to be moved.It’s really interesting if you think about it. Kids are dreamers. But our educational system sucks the dreams right of them and tells them that dreams are for losers. What you need is a dose of reality and practicalism. You need a job.What a crock!We were born dreamers and I chose to die as a dreamer who had clarity and focus which equates to execution and fulfillment.People get stuck in jobs because they bought the lie.We as marketers can inspire people to realize that they can have what they want if they gain clarity and focus, pursue their dreams with vigor and tenacity; and ask our followers what price are you willing to pay to get where you want to go.Nothing is without struggle in this world. But, if you choose to accept the challenge and persevere through it you will be counted as those who achieved success.Ryan, loved the post and I appreciate how you’re showing people the way as you blog from paradise!Keep up the great work my friend!~ Don Purdum
My point was simple. This isn’t the most important post Matt ever put up. It’s mildly interesting, like the book was, but that’s about it.
Great post and well written. I’m reading a post on this topic for the first time and I enjoyed reading it.
Cool Yasir appreciate it.
Technically Arnold won 7 Mr Olympias
Good catch michael thanks!
A few big comments are showing up after Ryan’s journey from commenting to a guest post!
Commenting works well Rishit, I even wrote an eBook about it 😉
Great post, I have always been inspired by Arnie. Pumping Iron is a true classic. Hats off to the big man, all the way big dude! Great post Matt.
Thanks Guy much appreciated. Arnie is da man.
Great post!The lesson I took from Arnie resulted from having to eat my words regarding the stuff he was doing early on, and how that lead to his eventual success.I heard about Pumping Iron on a kids’ show in the UK when it first came out and I thought it looked naff.Later, during his Conan and Red Sonja period I thought what he was doing was naff. But whenever I saw him on TV he was solidly behind it.Next thing you know he’s doing masterpieces like The Terminator, and it turned out he was pretty good at comedy too. Not forgetting becoming Governor of California.When all he had to offer was big muscles he kept going with them and eventually got where he wanted to be. Just like Arnie we need to show up every day with whatever we have and be solidly behind it, and maybe we’ll get where we want to be too.
Matt,I’ve been given that same advice from two people (not ironically they both sell online) who I look up to – do one thing, and do it WELL. I’ve been one to have a lot of irons in the fire, and while that’s never a bad thing, it sure is better to have one iron in there that heats up beyond your wildest expectations. Great post, loved how you tied in Arnold.
Yep Tim, where our attention and energy goes, grows. Thanks much.
Smart 😉
Hi Matt, When you learn to write like that?? 🙂 Amazing. Oscar. Believe or not all of us can do it but somehow we lack of motivational. So am I, still struggling with online things. I wish I could do like you Matt. Thanks for the great stuff you share here.
It’s not my writing 🙂
Indera much appreciated, and Matt writes some darn fine posts here himself!
The point Ryan is making is not necessarily character testimonial for Arnold. He is trying to show us marketers how anyone can succeed in what they do if they keep focus, believe in themselves, and do something extra and beyond what most people would do.
Matt, Ryan, this is one of the best motivational articles I’ve read in the past 3 months. Thank you for sharing this, Ryan, and Matt, the guest posts you publish here are always so rich in wisdom and knowledge! I think this post just owned autumn in blogging. :DI don’t know why, but even the kitten I’m taking care of froze at the sight of Arnold’s picture. He is a great man. As I mentioned before, we shared the same cover page in a business magazine – his presence makes you want to be a better person professionally and personally, and to follow your dreams. The fact that an European made it to the US says a lot, too. And with style. 😀
Thx Rox!!
Awesome post Matt. Arnold is an icon
Thanks Matt. This is a great post.”He Devoted All of His Energy to Doing 1 Thing Well”Being able to focus on doing one thing well is something that most people fail to do. I think the key is being persistent when things are not working out for you.
Very inspirational both from Arnold and Ryan 🙂
“When you face resistance, hold your dreams tightly. If you want to live the internet lifestyle, or if you want to quit your 9-5 to work from home to be with your family, hold this dream in mind to propel yourself through rough times”Ryan,thanks a lot for this inspiring article and specially for the above quote. I just printed it out and hung it above my desk.
Good luck with everything it looks like fun.
Awesome Post, Matt. I’m big fan of Arnold myself.
thanks guys, very inspirational your post and comments
Hi Matt!What a pleasure to see Ryan featured here.He’s one of my favorite friends online,and I always support his work.I love his approach, he’s always smiling.He transmits joy and positivity!I admire him for what he did.Sold his apartment and car in N.J. to start a new adventure in Fiji,and live from his online activities.What a great person.He must be really inspirational to the new bloggers around.I enjoyed the points about Arnold.A couple of years ago, I wrote an eBook, mentioning the six rules of success of Arnold Schwarzenegger.He had such a great story in his life, from Mr. NoOne in Austria, to big actor in Hollywood and even Governor of California!!!You have such a great content here, Matt.I’m following you since some weeks already.Keep up the fantastic job.Cheers to my friend Ryan. 🙂
Thx Erik I’d love to see that eBook!
Great read-its always good to step back and reassess your direction, and to remember why!I see in your comments a number of others I follow, and how much they have grown as well as your site, and its a huge influence for me and my team(Calling you out Gotch and Loz!)All of you guys are rocking it, and Ryan great post i’m sure i’ll check out your content now also!Hopefully with your inspiration you guys will be hearing of me soon also!Daniel
I am going to read this post whenever I get discouraged or slow down. Very motivating.
I am going to read this post whenever I get discouraged or slow down. Thanks for such an inspirational blog.
When I got to the “I’ll be back” part – it was automatically his voice LOLCreative post Ryan & Matthew. 😀
I absolutely love this post. Great connection made between Arnold and blogging. I really enjoy reading articles that make you think outside of the box and pull you from your comfort zone.
Thanks Matt and Ryan for this insightful and inspiring post! It’s just what I needed for the challenges I’m facing right now. Although I try to live a life of no regrets, I’ve made decisions that I wish never transpired and I’m paying for them until this day. However, I’m continually inspired by others, like the both of you, to keep pushing and fulfilling my dream of living the internet lifestyle for true financial freedom. It’s that dream that keeps me going and it’s also why this article has resonated with me so much. It gave me hope and motivation to move forward, especially in a time when I’m starting to doubt myself, feeling that I’m making a mistake, and wondering if I’ll ever achieve success. Bravo to you guys though for reigniting my fire and setting me back on track to make this dream come true. Thanks again.Keep inspiring,Warren
Hi RyanReally great post and I totally agree with most of the points you made, especially the one about your “weirdness” being your greatest strength. I have always believed that I am a little “different” to other people, however I definitely believe that it’s a good thing :)I can’t believe that you write 4,000 to 6,000 words a day, Ryan! That’s a hell of a lot of writing, however I can see that this is one of the thing’s that makes you so successful and it’s definitely given me food for thought. I write a lot of content too, however if I ever get anywhere near writing that much per day then I’ll be extremely pleased with myself!DanP.S. Matthew – I haven’t commented here before, however I love reading this blog and I’ve learned so much from your tutorials. Keep up the great work.
Dan, thanks much! Keep on writing buddy 😉
Matt,Thanks SO MUCH for sharing this opportunity with me to talk about the Austrian Oak!!I appreciate you!Ryan
Hahaha no problem, I tweeted it to him as well 🙂
This is truly inspiring. I love this extract from near the end — ‘In time, your “weirdness” or “weakness” will become your greatest strength because what you are trying to hide will make you remarkable…’What I’ve learned from Arnie is to never give up, and to chase my dreams, no matter how hard things get 🙂
Great motivational post!Motivated me to replace a few limiting beliefs (6000 words a day, oh yeah).Ryan I’ll keep an eye out for you!Thanks for sharing!
Awesome Manu, likewise dude. Keep on writing.
Arnold is the man. Always stop to read his advice.
I’m not sure this is quite as it sounds… I read Arnie’s autobiography a while back (and pretty hard going it was too).There is no doubting his tenacious approach to body building, but either he likes to belittle his own achievements (somewhat unlikely!) or his career plan was rather less organised and more haphazard than Ryan believes.Arnie followed the old adage “the harder I work, the luckier I get” – and most of his luck stemmed from his body building prowess.He became a film star because of his body.And he’s not the first actor to have done well in American politics (Ronald Reagan), but I bet marrying into the Kennedy family helped. Sorry Matt, this wasn’t “most important post” you’ve ever made! :-)Mart
Hi Mart, thanks for sharing your thoughts 😉 I think….until you become one of the highest grossing film stars of all time AND Mr Olympia 7 times AND a Republican Governor in a monstrous Democratic state, ALL in the same lifetime….then it’d be tough to appreciate what Arnie did. Have a great weekend!
Superb post RyanArnie was a hero of mine growing up too.This is a great source of inspiration, and just when I need it.Best wishesLoz
What a nice surprise! I came over to read Matthew’s blog post and here you are, Ryan.When I read “I’ll be back”, I heard Arnold’s voice in my head. I never knew he did so well in business before the movies. Thanks for letting us know. Sue
Sue Anne he’s one of a kind 😉 Thanks much!
This site has gone to crap, nothing useful anymore. Pointless, there is a 100 million other things like this on the net
Only 100 million Paul lol! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts 🙂
Well this is a post I never thought I’d read, but it was great fun and there are a lot of useful takeaways from it.Plus I’ve found a new blog to read, Blogging From Paradise is now in my feedly reader 🙂
Thanks Pete much appreciated!
You left out the fact that he married a Kennedy.
Pretty big accomplish too, ehh Tommy? )
Going on a slight tangent and inspired by what you wrote Ryan, marketing people talk about finding a Unique Selling Point (USP) all the time, but the most overlooked USP of all as your article points out is ourselves.I figure that is as a result of spending our childhood being moulded into what others think we should be. So here’s to all those that manage to break free and question the status quo (and a whole bunch of compassion to the rest).
Quentin what an awesome point. I do my best to be me on my blog, and through my brand, and this guy teaches us that. Thanks!
Ryan, awesome article and Matthew thank you for sharing! The hard working ideals are great for people just starting out, but it’s funny how complacent you can be once you’ve achieved a certain level of success. This is a perfect reminder to keep grinding and keep trying to reach new goals.Thanks!- Gotch
Nathan you make a wonderful point. We can be happy with where we’re at, but be hungry to free ourselves and our readers/customers even more. Thanks!
Thanks Matthew – Thanks Ryan – Great post!Applicable to any genre/journey one may seek. Especially during the tough times. God Speed!
MUCH appreciated Yohan 🙂 Arnold is a great study in persistence.
Hey Matt,You have invited one of my favorite bloggers here. I was doing some update on broaded.net when your mail landed in my inbox. The title got me hooked and I had to rush over here ;)Arnold Schwarzenegge popularly known as Commando in my area is one that has printed an unforgettable mark in the movie industry. He has an indisputable international recognition.I think you know this guy too well Ryan and you are his fan right? That’s why you are able to draw lessons from his movie life for us bloggers.I love that he was able to keep his identify. Being an Austrian doing so well in US, he kept his original features. That teaches us to be ourselves and not try to be like others. I think with this, and developing our identity, we can eve rule in the foreign land just like he became the Governor in California. ;)Huge success if you ask me 😉
Ahhh Enstine….The Commando, another classic! Thanks so much 🙂
Hi Ryan and Matt,Two of my favorite guys. ;)Ryan, your blog commenting success has landed you a guest post on Matt’s blog. How wonderful it is! Congrats.. You have now been featured in 41, not 40 blogs. Am I right? hahaArnold is such an inspiration for all of us. I never knew he had a mail order and a construction business. I was only aware of his success as a bodybuilder, actor and then as a governor. Thanks for sharing his bio.You really touched my heart when you said that an entrepreneur should value his freedom. We lose our focus amidst all the worries and the hunger to earn more money. The sole priority as to why we chose to be entrepreneurs is lost somewhere in the darkness. Thanks for reminding us through this blog post.Good luck to both of you guys. Signing off….Harsh
Actually Harsh over 50 now I can’t keep up lol! Thanks so much my friend.
Hey Matt, Hearing about Arnold Schwarzenegger for the first time. I have bookmarked this for further reading. Thanks
Wait, what?@RyanReally good post. Arnold built an asset that let him build another on top of the previous. Successful business led to time led to body building led to movies led to fame led to political success.
You’ve got to be kidding Jamiu. :DAnyways I like Arnold a lot and his movies.I also watch a lot of his motivational videos and try to implement his advice on my day life.
Really Oloyede? Well you’re gonna love him ;)You’ve never seen The Terminator?
A very inspirational post.I remember when I first started, I had to work 7 days a week earning minimum wage just to fund my projects.Now I’ve got a dozen affiliate sites all working for me.
Congrats Walt! Smart, persistent work really pays off.