Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of the American dream and the possibilities ambition can create. However, the bodybuilder doesn't believe in waiting for opportunities to arrive at your doorstep.

The former California governor joined Theo Von last year for a discussion about moving to America to pursue his bodybuilding career. While now his empire stands tall, he was once a 21-year-old struggling with individuality.

Being raised in Austria, a country with strong socialist policies, Schwarzenegger revealed that he felt suffocated by a system that crippled his potential, rather than let it shine.

"When I heard of what Nixon said, it was so opposite of what I grew up with, which I didn't like, where government was in kind of in charge of everything in Austria," he told Von. "I became kind of like a Nixon Republican."

That became the turning point in Schwarzenegger's life, forcing him to step outside of his comfort zone and take the bull by its horns.

"The big advantage of coming to America was that there was no safety net... So, I had to get really creative," he explained.

That self-reliance drove the Austrian Oak to elevate his skills and get more fluent in English. In no time, the young athlete was juggling college in Santa Monica with work, all the while training 5 hours a day. And this unshakeable grit paid lucratively.

From amateur competitions to world recognition

Arnold Schwarzenegger went against the grain, or rather the "European way", building a name all by himself. At just 18 years old, Schwarzenegger won the Best Built Man in Stuttgart, Germany.

After sweeping multiple other titles in Europe, including the youngest ever Mr. Universe at just 20, Schwarzenegger moved to America, training alongside his bodybuilding inspiration, Reg Park.

Soon, he conquered the global stages, building raving fanbases in the muscle world. However, the journey wasn't always easy. The bodybuilder has also served in the military, taking up the hard jobs.

Courtesy of his steel mindset and mental fortitude, Schwarzenegger never shied away from difficulties. After all, as the bodybuilder explained, "You create the safety net, then you don't have the will to really kind of make it on your own."

A strong proponent of the hustle culture, Schwarzenegger continues to inspire millions of people to take their lives into their own hands. Does his philosophy resonate with you?

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil