ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ON SUCCESS: THE SIX RULES OF SUCCESS

Just as inspiring and motivating as the content of Arnold Schwarzenegger's speech is his entire delivery style. He stands behind the lectern with his giant stature and speaks with his typical accent in front of an audience. Audience, over 90 percent of whom could be his children or even grandchildren.

But while other men of his age and background would probably have rehearsed various gestures, trained away their horrible accent and tried to conceal their origins in a small village in Styria, Arnold does things differently. He flirts very openly with his weaknesses, laughs a lot about himself and his “acting” and wins over the entire audience after just a few minutes.

For the first few minutes, he completely ignores the topic and prefers to focus on building rapport and a sense of belonging. His greatest weapons here are his almost mischievous humor and his incomparable attitude, which is almost similar to his role as the Terminator. In his speech, Schwarzenegger reports that he wanted to escape mediocrity as a teenager and has been driven by success ever since. Someone who always wanted to be the best and always the number.

And then, at the time when the students had already given him unconditional hang on the lips, and are captivated by the Schwarzenegger world, only then does Arnold get to the point. He reveals his six rules of success:

1. trust yourself

Rule number one: The message is simple. Trust yourself. Go deep inside yourself and then ask yourself a single question: Who do I really want to be? Many people confuse this with another question, namely “what do I want to be?” But this is about identity and the question of what makes you happy. And this is a very individual question that only everyone can answer for themselves. No matter how crazy or different it may sound to the outside world. The answer to this question is the strong inner drive, that you need to make it to the top.

In Arnold Schwarzenegger's case, it was a burning desire to become the best bodybuilder in the world. Even though his parents would have preferred him to become a policeman (like his father) and marry the Heidi from the village. But he had a different dream, let it guide him and finally lived it (which led to an exciting anecdote when Arnold decorated his entire bedroom with posters of strongmen and scantily clad weightlifters...more on this in the following video)

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2. break the rules

Rule number two is simple: break the rules. Not with the law, but with the rules of others. If you want to be successful, you have to think differently, think “outside the box” and, as befits a good brand, you also have to polarize. You don't have to follow the uniform masses, you have to be something special.

And this is exactly what Arnold Schwarzenegger did with one of his supposed greatest weaknesses, namely his accent. This particular type of pronunciation has since become his very special trademark. And one of the most famous film quotes of all time, the legendary “I'll be back”, has become world famous not in spite of, but BECAUSE of this accent.

3. don't be afraid to fail

Rule number three: Don't be afraid to fail. This philosophy was the common thread in Arnold's career, because he simply turned the sentence around. He often put all his eggs in one basket and risked failure. And he failed. Films like Red Sonja or The Expendables (he says I think it's brilliant) were pretty big flops. But you only make mistakes when you act. And you can grow from every failure if you approach it with the right attitude.

4. don't listen to the Nay-Sayers

Rule number 4: Don't listen to the know-it-alls. To the empire-builders. To the naysayers. To the vested interests and all those who want to tell you: “That won't work!” Schwarzenegger has been driven by this sentence his whole life. Whenever someone told him “That's impossible!”, he did everything he could to make it possible.

And the results speak for themselves. Or as Arnold Schwarzenegger sums it up: “If I had listened to all these people, I would still be sitting in the Austrian Alps today, yodeling to myself all day long!”

5. the most important rule of all: Work your butt off

Rule number 5: Work as hard as you can. Or in Arnold's words: work your ass off! According to Schwarzenegger, this rule is the most important of all, without which all five others are ineffective. You don't get anything for free and no success in the world falls from the sky. And when you have really turned over every stone, then you know that you have done everything for success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger tells a story about Muhammad Ali, who was once asked how many push-ups he did in training. The answer was typical of a successful champion. He replied: “I have no idea. I only start counting when it starts to hurt. Because that's when it gets interesting!”

If you want to be successful, there is no way around hard work. Of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger also knows about the good things in life. But he also puts his finger directly in the wound: while you are partying, lying on the beach or sleeping, there are plenty of other people in the world who are working hard on their success and becoming smarter, better and more successful.

He summarizes this rule in one sentence, which for me is the most important of his entire speech:

“You can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pocket!”

6. giving back

Rule number six is: give back! Because even Arnold Schwarzenegger has long understood that all energy is fluid. Those who receive a lot and give just as much and gladly are in balance. And today he enjoys this balance of giving and receiving more than ever. Or as he puts it: “Playing a game of chess with a little 8-year-old homeless boy for 10 minutes gives me more happiness and satisfaction today than all the red carpets of movie premieres in the world!”

What does this mean for you, dear reader?

Well, even if not all of us want to become the best bodybuilder in the world, a successful Hollywood actor or Governor of California, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Six Rules of Success can easily be applied to your own goals and dreams. So read through the summary of the six rules again and then start pursuing, achieving and living your own personal success!