Arnold Schwarzenegger has always held himself in high regard. He knew he was a winner and destined for great things. Any strong desire that is not accompanied by determination is only daydreaming. The Austrian Oak, having realized this at a young age, resorted to self-criticism whenever he failed to follow a plan.
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In his teenage, Schwarzenegger began lifting weights so aggressively that his parents had to limit his visits to the gym. He continued his workout despite their plans by converting a room in his house into a small gym. Arnie was his master planner and devised an hour-by-hour training schedule. In an interview in 1996, he shared how ashamed he was to face himself if he failed to do as planned.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was unapologetic
One thing Schwarzenegger always feared was breaking his promise. He wrote his training programs himself. “I lived by the training program, the eating program, the competition program,” he asserted. As soon as he laid out the plan, “the last thing I ever wanted to do is disappoint myself.”
He pointed out the reality that he has no escape from confronting himself as he had to look in the mirror every day. He revealed how uncompromising he was, stating what he would tell himself. “You know something: You’re a f**king loser; you cannot even do the kind of sets and exercises and eat the kind of food that you wrote down.” Hence, he made every effort to not face it.
Arnold dreaded being ashamed of not keeping up with the plan. He was adamant, confident, and an absolute go-getter. Also, he worked hard, made sacrifices, utilized opportunities wisely, and catapulted to stardom with several victories. Thus, becoming one of the popular faces of bodybuilding.
Arnold was his best critic
Arnold is known to be a self-confident person. However, it never stopped him from criticizing himself. While preparing for bodybuilding competitions, he used to be brutally honest about his appearance. He would stand in front of the mirror and point out what his weak points were. Moreover, he did it without affecting his self-confidence.
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Besides, he strongly understood that being self-confident without knowledge of one’s weaknesses hits a dead-end on the path toward success. Arnold won five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles.
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Eventually, he transitioned to movies as he loved to show his personality to people and stated, “the more you expressed [yourself], the more you could entertain the people.”