You can never win if you quit
With a surname that sounds almost unpronounceable and an accent that sounds more like an Austrian, who would have thought that a bodybuilder would become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
He was born into a poor family in a small village in Austria. His father was a Nazi cop who abused him. He used to beat him with belts and preferred his elder son as he looked strong unlike him. While he was training for soccer, he decided to become a bodybuilder and, despite opposition from his parents, he trained 5 hours a day at the age of 15. Working out made him ill. If he didn’t do it, he wouldn’t be able to look at himself in the mirror the next morning.
At the age of 20, he became the youngest Mr. Universe. He saw the Mr. Universe title as a ticket to America, where he could fulfill his dream of becoming a movie star. With $20 bill, he left for America. He arrived in California at the age of 21. During the day, he worked as a bricklayer. Evenings were spent focusing on his dream of making it in America. Because he was so broke, many of his new friends gave him dishes and pillows.
He gave auditions, everywhere but the producers turned him down saying “You will never get a lead role because you look like a monster”. They even discouraged him due to his accent and name saying that you talk like a machine and your name is too long.
However, he ignored them and worked on improving his accent and acting skills. With his flawless performance in Terminator in 1984, he shut down everyone who criticized him.
Today, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is known as one of the greatest actions heroes of all time. The story teaches us that “Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength”.
