Having tried multiple careers, Arnold Schwarzenegger divulges secrets to overcoming fears
Having tried his luck in various fields, Arnold Schwarzenegger surely knows what it takes to succeed. After creating a legacy in bodybuilding, his move to Hollywood was considered a risky one by many of his close friends.
He once again shocked everyone when he announced he was getting into politics. Schwarzenegger has ventured into multiple businesses as well, with each having its fair share of success stories.
Schwarzenegger, however, has never let the fear of failure get the better of him. Despite being down after his dreams of becoming the President of the United States getting shattered, Schwarzenegger quickly moved on to better things in life. He also publishes a daily newsletter for his subscribers where he gives tips and views on the dos and don’ts of bodybuilding and general lifestyle advice.
In one of the recent editions of his daily newsletter Arnold’s Pump Club, Schwarzenegger talked about the fear of failure in depth. He wrote:
“The worst thing that can happen if you try and fail is that you’ll be back in your current situation, living the life you are living today. But something in your brain tells you that you want to improve that life, whether it’s with the diet, the training, the job, the love, or the vision.”
Schwarzenegger further suggested giving one's phone a little rest and thinking about dreams. After getting clarity about dreams, one can make a plan on how they’ll accomplish their goals. At this stage, it is essential to do a risk assessment.
“What’s worse, a life of regrets or a life of failures that didn’t kill you or embarrass you all that much?” he wrote.
“I want you to sit down and envision yourself toward the end of your life. Do you think you’ll be happier if you know you tried as hard as you could, you left no stone unturned, you put in all the effort, and you had just as many failures as successes? Or do you think you’ll be happier if you played it safe and didn’t apply for the dream job, lift the weight, start the diet, talk to the crush, or chase that vision?” Schwarzenegger added.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has never hesitated to take risks in his life. Back in the 1980s, he successfully gained a lot of popularity as of best action movie stars. However, when he decided to do Twins, the decision was doubted by many. But this did not stop him.
How Arnold Schwarzenegger made Twins a huge success
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were the go-to action movie stars back in the day for any producer. However, Schwarzenegger wanted to test himself and act in a comedy film. The decision was frowned upon by many, including Ivan Reitman, the director of the movie.
This is when Schwarzenegger came up with a master plan to convince him. He told Reitman that he was not expecting any money from him, but wanted part ownership of the movie. Whatever the movie made, Schwarzenegger and Reitman would share the profits and losses accordingly. This instantly won Reitman’s trust.
In the podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Schwarzenegger recalled the incident and said:
“I said, don’t pay me. Just make me be part owner of the film…I take the risk just like you take the risk, and sure enough, I made more money on that movie like in any other movie.” (08:54)
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s immense confidence in himself earned him north of $35 million (as per Forbes) as Twins grossed more than $200 million worldwide.
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