I didn't want to just be a bodybuilding champion. I wanted to be the best bodybuilder of all time.
Dig deep down and ask yourselves, who do you want to be? Not what, but WHO?
I'm talking about figuring out for yourselves what makes you happy. You have to think outside the box that's what I believe after all. What's the point of being on this earth if all you want to do is to be like everyone and avoid trouble.
We have so many rules in this life about everything. I say break the rules, not the law, but break the rules.
I remember that after I was finished with my bodybuilding career I wanted to get into acting and I wanted to be a star in films. Everyone was saying it can’t be done – “Just look at your body you have this huge monstrous body that’s overly developed, it doesn’t fit into the movies!’. But you know I didn’t listen to all this, this was THEIR rules. I was convince I could do it. Then I got a big break in Conan the Barbarian. Trust yourself no matter how and what everyone else thinks. And then the director said “if we didn’t have Schwarzenegger we would have to build one”. Then when I did Terminator, “I’ll be back”… one of the most famous lines in movie history all because of my crazy accent. Just shows you should never listen when someone tells you you can’t do something. Don’t be afraid to fail. Anything I’ve ever attempted, I was always willing to fail. Don’t be afraid to make decisions. You can’t be paralyzed by the fear of failure or you’ll never push yourself. You can push because you believe in yourself and in your vision. And you know that it’s the right thing to do, success will come so don’t be afraid to fail. I mean how many times do you hear ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that, it’s never been done before. So pay no attention to people who say it can’t be done. If I would have listened to the naysayers, I would still be in the Austrian Alps yodelling. I would never have come to America, I always listened to myself and said “Yes you can”. You never want to fail because you didn’t work hard enough – work your butt off. I always believe in leaving no stone unturned. No pain no gain. When you’re out there, partying, woosing around, someone out there at the same time is working hard. Someone is getting smarter, someone is winning, just remember that.
You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.”