Despite Controversial Relationship With Father, Arnold Schwarzenegger Lives by His Two-Word Advice at 75

An astounding tale of success, Arnold Schwarzenegger started from scratch and became the biggest action film star of the 80s and 90s. From a prolific bodybuilding career to politics, he left no stone unturned when it came to his goals in life.

Schwarzenegger often explains that his success comes from a simple strategy: have a vision, and make productive use of your time. Currently busy filming for his new Netflix series, FUBAR, he took some time out of his schedule to share with his fans.

Arnold Schwarzenegger got some sage advice from his father

Putting out a newsletter this month titled “My Unreasonable Birthday Goals”, Arnold Schwarzenegger shared some anecdotes about his life. Essentially a New Year’s resolution list, the bodybuilder declared one of his 75th birthday goals to be a piece of advice he got from his father.

He wrote, “My dad always said ‘Be useful, Arnold.’ When I was young, I listened, but it didn’t mean as much as it means now. 75 years of life has taught me that it means everything.” As a man committed to philanthropy, Schwarzenegger uses his amassed wealth and platform for charitable causes. But he explains that being useful doesn’t necessarily mean you have to start training Special Olympians and hang out with kids at after-school programs like the bodybuilder.

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“You can be useful at a job, but you can also be useful as a father, as a friend, as a mentor,” he continued. Even self-improvement counts. According to the former governor of California, “You just have to be willing to ask yourself, ‘How can I help?’” instead of “How can I hurt?’” It seems Schwarzenegger’s estranged relationship with his father didn’t stop him from interpreting his advice in his way.

Schwarzenegger had a rough childhood

The seven-time Mr. Olympia champion, Arnold Schwarzenegger, grew up in a strict household. His father, Gustav Schwarzenegger, served as a local police chief. So if the young bodybuilder disobeyed him, he would often turn violent to make him conform.

“My hair was pulled. I was hit with belts. It was just the way it was,” Schwarzenegger revealed. The bodybuilder shared in the past that his father would come home drunk a couple of times a week. Then he would scream and hit them, scaring his mother. However, he also claimed that such behavior was the norm at the time in his neighborhood.

Moreover, Schwarzenegger’s father showed blatant favoritism for his brother. When he suspected that the aspiring bodybuilder could be gay, thanks to the posters of his bodybuilding heroes plastered on his walls, he chased him with a belt and beat him. Consequently, the Austrian Oak cut all ties with his father after he moved out of the house. He even refused to attend his dad’s funeral after his death in 1972.

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