Arnold Schwarzenegger 6 Rules of Success Speech

 Arnold Schwarzenegger is well know all over the world and surely a true success story we all can learn from.

This man succeed in every venture he choose to join. From bodybuilding to acting, from acting to politics, he did it all. Conquer the unconquerlable it's an expression that really fits Arnolds life achievements.

In 2009 he his USC Commencement Speech he took time to share some of his "rules to success" in an epic speech that will inspire generations to come:



I've enjoyed the full speech and it's always wonderful to listen to the mindset of a successful and inspiring people, like Arnold, when they're facing adversity or life obstacules.

You can really relate to them and in this case apply some principles or rules to your own world, because Arnold pinpoints 6 rules on how to be successful. It starts at minute 08:15.


Dr. Schwarzenegger Rules of Success:

Rule 1 - TRUST YOURSELF

“...dig deep down, dig deep down and ask yourselves, who do you want to be? Not what, but WHO!"

"...I’m talking about not what your parents and teachers want you to be, but you."

 "...figuring out for yourselves what makes you happy, no matter how crazy it may sound to other people.”

Our take on it: The best person to tell you what's good for you and what's not, is YOU! You know yourself better than any other person, so why trust what others want for your life or have to say, instead of trusting your true feelings and dreams in the first place? And, don't just trust yourself in the conceptual stages, trust yourself throughout the process.


Rule 2 - BREAK THE RULES

"I say break the rules. Not the law, but break the rules."

 "You have to think outside the box."

"....what is the point of being on this earth if all you want to do is be liked by everyone and avoid trouble?"

 "The only way that I ever got any place was by breaking some of the rules"

Our take on it: If you do everything according to the rules, like everybody else does, you'll get the same results most of people gets. Poor results. This is not a good picture if you want to stand out, and succeed. Notice, Arnold talks breaking some of the rules, not all of them you shouldn't be a 24 hour rebel also.



Rule 3 - DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

"Anything I’ve ever attempted, I was always willing to fail."

"...you can’t always win, but don’t afraid of making decisions."

"You can’t be paralyzed by fear of failure or you will never push yourself. "

"You keep pushing because you believe in yourself and in your vision and you know that it is the right thing to do, and success will come. So don’t be afraid to fail!"

 Our take on it: Fear of failure is one of the top common "success blockers". Sometimes we think so much in the "cons" that we forget the "pros" of pushing ourselves to do what we got do do. And as a result we do nothing, that's what Arnold means with "paralyzed by fear". Don't let this happen concentrate on your goals and just go and do it! Remember every step forward gets you closer to your goal, even if that step is short, don't worry! Better start small, than no start at all because of fear of failure.
Also, failing it's part of the process, you have to fail in order to learn and get more conscious about certain things. Failures should be taken into consideration as learning experiences that will led to better knowledge and new strategies in your road to success. Everyone who succeed at some point had to deal with failures, so don't be afraid of it, embrace it.

Rule 4 - DON'T LISTEN TO THE NAYSAYERS

"How many times have you heard that you can’t do this and you can’t do that and it’s never been done before?"

 "...I love it when someone says that no one has ever done this before, because then when I do it that means that I’m the first one that has done it."

"...pay no attention to the people that say it can’t be done!"

" I always listen to myself and say, “YES, YOU CAN!.” "

 Our take on it: People are always talking, the most important person you have to listen to is YOU. Most of the time, people's opinions are not aligned with your goals and dreams, because they're YOUR goals and dreams, not theirs! So, negative comments will always be around you, what you have to do is ignore them.
Don't mistake "naysayers" from advisers, advisers are those people in your circle of influences that can help you to get better by analyzing your work and giving you tips.



Rule 5 - WORK YOUR BUTT OFF

"I always believed leaving no stone unturned."

"That’s the way it is with everything: No pain, no gain."

"... it is important to have fun in life, of course, but when you’re out there partying, horsing around, someone out there at the same time is working hard. Someone is getting smarter and someone is winning."

 "...if you want to win, there is absolutely no way around hard, hard work."

Our take on it: This is simple, you have to work hard at what you decide to do. Why? Because most of people who want what you want, are not willing to make sacrificies to achieve that goal. So if you work harder than most, you're one step ahead. And here's the interesting part of this topic: ANYONE can do this!!! You don't need a god given gift or to be borned with some kind of special skill, anyone can work hard, you just have to put your mind into it. Talented people can be beaten by those who are willing to work harder.



Rule 6 - GIVE BACK

"... you must always find time to give something back, something back to your community, give something back to your state or to your country."

"...reaching out and helping people will bring you more satisfaction than anything else you have ever done."

Our take on it: Giving back is crucial. Here's why: success is not only about yourself. You can achieve anything, you can have anything, you can do anything, whatever your definition of success is, but if you're not giving back to someone or something in this world, you'll feel miserable in the long run. So success is not only about yourself, it's about others also. Ask yourself what's the contribution you're giving others by being successful?


Be GREAT!