The bodybuilding sport, one can say, owes its current popularity to one of the best athletes, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 7x Mr. Olympia ripped physique brought glory to the sport itself. But coming from a poor family in Thal, Arnie had to overcome multiple obstacles to reach unparalleled heights as a bodybuilder. And the Terminator actor credits all of it to his vision.

The 76-year-old recently revealed the principles he followed to become successful in his life. Arnie explains a concept that has helped champions like Michael Phelps and Sebastian Vettel win competitions.

Arnold Schwarzenegger deciphers the success secrets of elite athletes

Schwarzenegger spent his entire life pursuing his goals, one after another. In his fourth quarter of life, Schwarzenegger is focused on contributing to society by sharing his life lessons and fitness knowledge. To pursue his quest, he wrote a self-help book to motivate youth towards success. In Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, Schwarzenegger explained how having a vision can help do the impossible.

Arnie’s first tool to realize dreams is to “HAVE A CLEAR VISION.” Schwarzenegger suggests his followers clearly visualize every step of the goal to reach their desired destiny. “You need to SEE IT,” he stresses in his book. Not just his lone example, he quoted a few other athletes realizing their dreams with a similar approach. “The Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was famous, all the way back as a teenager, for visualizing his split times down to the tenth of a second during training and nailing them lap after lap,” Arnie wrote in his book.

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The Governator also added, “During his multiple world championship seasons, the German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel was known for sitting in his car before qualifying sessions with his eyes closed visualizing every turn, every gear shift, every acceleration and braking zone.” But how did Schwarzenegger visualize his bodybuilding dream?

Schwarzenegger daydreamed about winning the Mr. Universe title

As a child from an unprivileged background, Arnie always wanted to get away from his village, Thal, to earn money and fame. During his quest for success, the Governator came across Reg Park’s bodybuilding poster and took his life as a blueprint. So, like his icon, he wanted to win the Mr. Universe contest.

At 15, Arnie daydreamed about lifting weights, building his physique, and taking the trophy as the crowd cheered for him. After five years, his vision turned into a reality as he became the youngest Mr. Universe at 20. Later, he pioneered the bodybuilding arena, becoming the 7x Mr. Olympia champion.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger decoded his success mantra into a simple trick for his followers in his book, and he assured that success is destined if one follows it. Did you find Arnie’s first lesson helpful? Let us know in the comments below.