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Jay Shetty PodcastJay Shetty Podcast

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER On How To Change The Trajectory of Your Life! ”I was unhappy with reality…”

Today we welcome Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-born bodybuilder, actor, businessman, philanthropist, bestselling author, and politician.

Arnold SchwarzeneggerguestJay Shettyhost
Oct 9, 20231h 48mWatch on YouTube

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Transcript

  1. 0:00 – 1:06

    Intro

    1. AS

      Failures make us learn. Failures make you stronger. Pain makes you stronger

    2. JS

      Everyone in the world knows Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    3. AS

      Arnold Schwarzenegger has been an A-lister and a governor

    4. JS

      One of the most famous human beings on Earth for most of his life We've entered your mind. That's what it feels like

    5. AS

      If you don't know where you want to go or who you want to be, you eventually just float around, and you eventually crash. I promised the people that they're number one.

    6. JS

      Mm.

    7. AS

      But I promised my wife that they're gonna be number one. So there's a dilemma

    8. JS

      Before we jump into this episode, I'd like to invite you to join this community to hear more interviews that will help you become happier, healthier, and more healed. All I want you to do is click on the subscribe button. I love your support. It's incredible to see all your comments, and we're just getting started. I can't wait to go on this journey with you. Thank you so much for subscribing. It means the world to me

    9. AS

      The best-selling author and host-

    10. JS

      The number one health and wellness podcast- On Purpose with Jay Shetty. I feel like we've entered your mind. That's what it feels like when you enter this room, like all these aspects of yourself. I was, I was wondering,

  2. 1:06 – 7:24

    Growing Up With Strict Parents In A War Torn Austria

    1. JS

      what's your earliest childhood memory that you think defines the person you are today? I r- heard somewhere you mentioned your father made you earn your breakfast, and I was thinking, what does that feel like? What does that mean?

    2. AS

      You know, I, I, I really don't know exactly what it was that gave me the drive or gave me the ability to visualize my goals and all that. But I think it was a combination of things, of growing up after the Second World War. In 1947, I was born, and to grow up with no food, with starve- starvation and, uh, famine and, uh, you know, my mother going around, what they call hamstering, which means begging, uh, at various different farmers for food so she had food for the children. So all of that, I think, had an impact. Uh, and a strict upbringing. My father was very strict. You know, we were hit many times and punished for not doing the things the way they thought we should do things. We had to earn breakfast, like you said. You know, we had to do pushups and sit-ups and compete, uh, knee bends and all this stuff, running around the, the house, uh, in order to be allowed to have breakfast. Uh, so I think all of that contributed, you know? And, and also, I think having the military around, the British military that was, because they occupied that area of Austria. They came always around with their tanks and with their big trucks and everything. And I think that gave me the fascination of, uh, you know, becoming a tank driver myself, and I went into the Austrian Army. Ever since then, I have had a fascination with big cars, big trucks, with tanks and stuff like that, and I now have the tank that I drove in the military, I now have over here in Los Angeles.

    3. JS

      [laughs]

    4. AS

      And it's at the Melody Ranch, where they have a lot of various different military vehicles, and they do the upkeep, and I drive it, like, once a month and especially with after-school kids that are staying in school in the afternoons and so on, so we have a lot of fun with that.

    5. JS

      Do you still drive it?

    6. AS

      Yeah, yeah, I, I drive it every month.

    7. JS

      Oh, wow.

    8. AS

      Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah.

    9. JS

      Okay.

    10. AS

      Yeah, I really enjoy that, but that's why I have Hummers, you know, the big military trucks and, and, and cars and SUVs and, uh, the, the Oshkosh and all of this. It's, it's, it's a certain craziness that never leaves you, you know?

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. AS

      Even though boys and their toys, right? I mean, it's ... [laughs]

    13. JS

      Yeah, absolutely.

    14. AS

      Yeah.

    15. JS

      Do you ... You said somewhere as well that your, you felt like your father was maybe struggling with some post-traumatic stress disorder. Like, he had that energy that kind of came through onto you guys.

    16. AS

      Well, you know, my father was a very complicated guy. Obviously, um, I never really got to know him that well, you know? By the time I left, it was like I was 18 years old. I went in the military, then I moved to Munich, then I moved from Munich to America. So I really was not home. I wish today I could have a conversation with him because I'm much smarter now. I'm much more interested in various different issues like that, what makes someone tick, what makes someone, you know, happy and, or suffer, whatever. So in those days, we didn't talk about any of that, you know? So it's, it's, uh ... But he was complicated because he was a victim of the Second World War, meaning that he was dragged into the war, became a s- a soldier, a Nazi officer, you know, was shattered in, in, in Stalingrad, or Leningrad, I should say. And, and he was, you know, uh, buried under rubble of, of buildings that, uh, collapsed on top of him for three days, and then he had back surgeries, and then he was shipped back home to Austria, and that actually probably what saved him because he got out of Russia, uh, just in time before the whole thing collapsed.

    17. JS

      Wow.

    18. AS

      And, uh, so it, it, it created a certain kind of a thing. He had malaria, so he was suffering from malaria. He was suffering from shrapnel moving around in his body. He was depressed, obviously, that they lost the war in the first place. So that must have had an impact on all these men because everyone around me when I grew up was kind of drinking. And so the ... People only drink when they're really unhappy, you know? Or you drink a glass of wine-

    19. JS

      Mm-hmm

    20. AS

      ... like I sometimes do, but not to get drunk-

    21. JS

      Yeah [laughs]

    22. AS

      ... uh, per se, like they did. So there was a lot of drinking going on, a lot of violence going on, hitting the kids. Not just my dad hitting me or my brother, but the, the neighbor hit his kids, and the other neighbor hit his ... I mean, as a matter of fact, a, a regular, a kind of a parent-teacher's day will be when the parents come into the classroom. They will go up to the teacher, they talk for a few minutes, and then they go, go to their kid in the classroom and smack them. But every parent was doing that.

    23. JS

      Wow.

    24. AS

      It was just the wildest kind of a thing. I mean-

    25. JS

      That's insane

    26. AS

      ... it would be great for comedy today, I think, [laughs] you know? Uh, because now I have to laugh about it because people all kind of, like, laughing about it because we knew, like when my dad came in, you know, he then had this look. You know, first he talked to the teacher, how ... And then all of a sudden was this Just look towards me. Then he will just come over and boom, will smack you. Then we walk out, [laughs] and then some old lady will come in with a w- with a walking cane, and she was the grandmother of one of the kids that was sitting next to me, and, uh, she would go to the teacher. Then she would walk over with her cane, and she'd take her cane and smack the kid over the head with the cane, and so this was normal.

    27. JS

      Wow.

    28. AS

      So you understand, so that's what I'm saying, it's, it was such a, a, a different way of upbringing than maybe you had or that n- the kids have today or that my kids had, in a way there was always love and affection for them. Yes, there was discipline, but it was all done in a measured way and not with hitting and stuff like that. So it's, it's, it's a- the- I, but I think all of this had an impact-

    29. JS

      Yeah

    30. AS

      ... on my, uh, the way I v- I viewed the world and my drive to get out of there, out of Austria, and to come to America, and to get into bodybuilding and all those kind of things.

  3. 7:24 – 10:49

    Lessons Learned From Joining The Military

    1. JS

      What was the most intense part of your involvement in the military? What was the most intense experience you had there? Obviously, there was this experience at home and at school, as you just said, but ...

    2. AS

      I think that, um, the military, even though when I went through it, it was really tough, but I have to say that when I look back at it, I recommend it very strongly for any, any young man, or woman as far as that goes, to go through that because you learn how to be tough. You get up at 5:00 in the morning, you run for an hour, then you do your basic training, you know, crawling on all fours and with a gun in your hand, and shooting, and, uh, learning how to drive motorcycles and cars and trucks and tanks. You learn about leadership, but you also learn simple things like how to iron your shirt, how to sew on buttons, uh, how to iron your, your pants, how to brush your shoes, how to clean your shoes, clean belt buckles and all this. So you become kind of self-sufficient, and it gives you, I think, a certain amount of confidence that I don't need to be babied by anybody.

    3. JS

      Mm.

    4. AS

      I can take care, I can cook, which you learn there, you know, the basic foods. Uh, as a matter of fact, we made scrambled eggs on top of the tank because the back of the motor would be so hot.

    5. JS

      So hot. Wow.

    6. AS

      So we just put the eggs on top and just scramble it there and ate it off, off the tank, dirty as it was, right? So but I mean, so you feel kind of, look, I can handle food. I can handle ironing my own stuff. I can handle washing my own stuff. I don't need anybody to do those kind of, you know, stupid chores. I can do it myself.

    7. JS

      Mm.

    8. AS

      And I feel good doing it myself. So there's a lot of things like that that you learn in the army. It just gives you a certain base where you don't get afraid of anything. You feel like, I've gone through all kinds of hell now with the military, you know, they make sure of that. And so I think that's, that's really terrific, but I remember there were times that were really tough. Like for instance, if you make a mistake, they will have you open up the hatch that is underneath your seat and, uh, uh, where the driver's seat is of the tank, and you open up that hatch and it falls out, and then they have you crawl out of that hole and then drive, uh, then crawl under the tank in the mud and, uh, with your uniform on and everything. And then you have, you have to climb up the back of the tank, up the turret, down the turret, back to your driver's seat, and then out that hole again, and you do that, like, 50 times. So by the time you do it, it's, like, hours later.

    9. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    10. AS

      And, uh, you, you literally collapse, you're so exhausted from all that stuff. So there's punishments like that that were really, really tough, so I would not wish that on anybody-

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. AS

      ... to be honest with you. I mean, I could handle it, but I, I think I kind of, I could handle it because I was 18 years old, and you know, you're very, very tough when you're 18.

    13. JS

      Yeah, yeah.

    14. AS

      You can handle just about anything, you know?

    15. JS

      Yeah.

    16. AS

      You have the endurance and the strength, and I was, and I was in the middle of my weightlifting and bodybuilding career, so I was also strong, but I was strong-willed also, so to me it was all kind of, it was good, but it was tough.

  4. 10:49 – 17:05

    Arnold’s First Impressions Of America

    1. JS

      Yeah. What was your first, I know that you've talked about how, like, you wanted to get out of Austria, you wanted to get away, but what was your first glimpse of America? Like, what was your first experience of the United States that you had?

    2. AS

      The first experience was w- be- I was competing in Florida, in Miami, so to me Miami was the first experience really. Arriving in, in New York, changing planes, and then flying to Miami. I came from London to New York and then from New York to Miami. That to me was the first experience. You know, the high-rises, the beautiful hotels, the water, uh, the boats. Everyone had a boat there.

    3. JS

      [laughs]

    4. AS

      And so it was, Jesus, can you believe that? I mean, everyone, they, they have an apartment on the, uh, uh, at the, at the canal, at the waterway, and then they have a boat, and they were just all cruising around, and we were invited. We bodybuilders that were competing in the competition, we were invited on boat rides. There was this one bodybuilder that had a boat for, like, 10 people, so we were going around and we saw how much fun they had, you know, how well people lived, how happy they were. To me, that was, like, a really interesting experience, unlike the experience when I came to California because I felt like, okay, I'm coming to California, and I'm going to see all the things that made me want to come here. Muscle Beach. But the Muscle Beach by that time was closed.

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. AS

      You know, they closed it in the '60s. And, uh, so there was no Muscle Beach per se. Then Gold's Gym was not as big as I thought it's gonna be.

    7. JS

      [laughs]

    8. AS

      The buildings, when you look around out here, we're in Venice right now, it's there still today very low buildings-

    9. JS

      Yeah

    10. AS

      ... compared to the high-rises in New York. So I thought that there would be high-rises here also, Los Angeles, high-rises. And then when I, when my friends took me to Hollywood, they tried to convince me, "This is Hollywood. I mean, look at this." And I looked around and I just-

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. AS

      ... couldn't see anything, right? So I thought there would be studios left and right of Hollywood Boulevard. There would be studios.

    13. JS

      [laughs]

    14. AS

      There would be Paramount Studios, and there would be Sony, and then there would be, you know, uh, Columbia, Disney, and Warner Brothers, and all of the studios would be lined up left and right-

    15. JS

      [laughs]

    16. AS

      ... with, uh, hotels and luxury and all. When I got down to Hollywood Boulevard and it was, like, a bunch of homeless people running around, and weirdos, and drug addicts, and hippies, and that's what I saw, and this, and, and, and tourists, you know. So I said, I said, "F- this is Hollywood?" They said, "Well, Arnold, you, you have to understand, this is daytime. At night it really lights up."

    17. JS

      [laughs]

    18. AS

      Then I said, "Well, why don't you bring me here at night when it really lights up?"

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. AS

      So and they, they took me at night, and it was also very disappointing.

    21. JS

      [laughs]

    22. AS

      There was a few lights and a few billboards, but you know, I just-

    23. JS

      Yeah

    24. AS

      ... I came from London.

    25. JS

      Yeah.

    26. AS

      Right? So I've been, but at that point I've been several times to London because I was competing in bodybuilding in London, and I started my bodybuilding career there. So I saw Piccadilly Square and I saw lights.

    27. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    28. AS

      I mean, I saw action. It was, like, staggering. That really blew me away.

    29. JS

      Yeah.

    30. AS

      You know, and then driving on those double-decker buses, and the, and the transportation with the subway or the tube, whatever-

  5. 17:05 – 23:58

    How Did Arnold’s Bodybuilding Journey Start?

    1. JS

      by is who was your, who was your first ever bodybuilding coach, and do you remember your first ever tournament? How did it go?

    2. AS

      Yeah, no, I've, uh, there was a fellow by the name of Kurt Marnul who, uh, was Mr. Austria. Now, you have to imagine when you're, like, 14 years old like I was, and 15, and Mr. Austria was like a, is a big star.

    3. JS

      Yeah.

    4. AS

      He came out to that lake where I grew up. There was, like, a lake where there was on weekends, like, 3, 4,000 people around that lake lying in the grass and, uh, on blankets and then swimming in that lake, and then it was kind of a muddy kind of a lake. And he came out there and he looked like God.

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. AS

      He was very good friends with the swimming coach, the guy that kind of took care of everything there at the lake, and they were working out, and they were inviting me to work out with them. So to, to me, that was kind of the first experience where someone kind of dragged me in, in and inspired me.

    7. JS

      Mm.

    8. AS

      And I said, I said, "Oh my God, can you imagine looking like that?" And he, if you wanted it or not, happened to be very good.

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. AS

      Because he said to me, he says, "Well, Arnold- "... in five years you could look like me." And I was saying, I was visualizing right away, oh my God, can you believe that? If I could look like that, and I'm Mr. Austria?

    11. JS

      Yeah.

    12. AS

      You know, so that was, like, major. And I just felt like this is almost kind of my, my new dad.

    13. JS

      Yeah. [laughs]

    14. AS

      He was 32 years old, and he became kind of like a mentor. He invited me then, uh, first of all, he invited, I realized that they invited always these athletes out to do it, like shot putters and javelin throwers and weightlifters and boxers, bodybuilders. I mean, all kinds of athlete. They all would work out together-

    15. JS

      Mm

    16. AS

      ... and have a good time, and we kids were kind of like hanging out with them.

    17. JS

      Yeah.

    18. AS

      And every so often we would work out with them. So we got, uh, so I got my real early inspiration that way, and then I went down to the club, to the weightlifting club. I started working out and start really become religious about it. It was like this was my new life, and I started having visions, very clear visions of being a Mr. Austria. Then there were pictures of the Mr. Europe contest, so I visualized myself being in the Mr. Europe contest and winning. And then I saw pictures of Reg Park, which is a British bodybuilder, who then subsequently later on moved to South Africa, married a South African woman by the name of Marian, and, uh, they created a family in South Africa. So that what became kind of my idol, and I saw pictures of him winning Mr. Universe in London, and so that was my new vision.

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. AS

      So I started really creating through this guy's vision, and it, but the, the vision was so vivid, so clear that I felt like all I had to do now is just follow through with the work. So let me now find out what needs to be done.

    21. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    22. AS

      And so I l- I read about Reg Park, how did he train. He trained, like, four, five hours a day and, uh, he did so and so many sets and so many reps, and this is the exercises he did. Did the bench press, the incline press, the bi, the curl, the shoulders presses, and the this and that, and I just wrote everything down, and I started following his routine. And I was absolutely convinced that I will be another Reg Park.

    23. JS

      Mm.

    24. AS

      And so that's how I really developed my first rule that I always talk about to success, is you got to have a very clear vision-

    25. JS

      Yes

    26. AS

      ... of where you want to go. Because if you don't have that, you're just floating around.

    27. JS

      Mm.

    28. AS

      And so, you know, I was very fortunate that I created that vision. I was very fortunate that there was not the side kind of things going on. We didn't have a phone in our house. We didn't have a television in our house. Uh, at, at that time there were no iPhones, there were no iPads. There was no computer. There was just really, you had all the time in the world to think.

    29. JS

      Mm.

    30. AS

      And to really just sit quietly and to just visualize.

  6. 23:58 – 31:16

    “I was unhappy with reality…” How To Create Your Own Happiness

    1. JS

      did you allow yourself or how did you develop that ability that even though around you there wasn't that much success, there was more stress, but you saw Mr. Austria and were able to do that. Do, have you ever figured out what that was b- compared to everyone else you grew up around?

    2. AS

      I just can tell you I was very unhappy.

    3. JS

      Yeah.

    4. AS

      I was unhappy with the reality-

    5. JS

      Mm

    6. AS

      ... of what was around me, you know, the tough parents and the lack of food, and others had steaks. We didn't have the money for that. As a matter of fact, we never ate meat during the week. Now, today they would say, "Oh, this is really good," [laughs] Because he, he were vegan- Yeah ... as a kid, but it was more for because of a lack of money. Uh, so we didn't have anything. So everywhere I looked ... So I think to me, the only way really was in order to be happy is to create my own world. Mm. And to visualize. Mm. You know? That's why people sometimes read a lot, because they want to escape into another story, or today they watch movies to go and to see another, to escape into another story and all this stuff. For me, that wasn't available. You know, the first movie I ever saw was like, uh, when I was like nine or 10 years old. So it was, it was not the common thing in the village where I grew up to go to movies. And I remember there was this collapsible kind of a seat. I just fell right down on the, on the, on the f- [laughs] ... floor because I had never even heard of a collapsible seat. [laughs] That you have to fold it down. Yeah. So I folded it down, then waited a little bit, and then of course it went back up again. [laughs] And I went right down on the- Oh, man ... on the floor. So because of that world, that negative world, I had to kind of create my own, uh, world. So I was just always daydreaming of wonderful things. So it was ... It, I developed that art, and it put a smile on my face. Yeah. So then clearly when I then saw, uh, Mr. Austria or Mr. Universe, and I saw those, uh, guys and saw photographs of it, and I read about it in the magazines, I created my vision. Mm. And I saw in that vision myself being up on that stage. Mm. And I saw myself, you know, people screaming around me, um, and screaming, "Arnold, Arnold, Ar-", and, and all this crazy stuff. It was all insane, crazy stuff. Uh, stuff that I never shared in those days with anybody. Mm-hmm. Because they, they would have put me in a mental institution, right? So I mean, so I was just, I just remember that I was sitting in a classroom in school. I was like 13 years old, 14 years old. The teacher would be where you are now, in front of me, teaching. And I would just slowly look off to the side out the window, and I saw these green trees. And then all of a sudden I start seeing things. Mm. And I had a smile. It's just was wonderful stuff that I saw. And all of a sudden I had the, a chalk landed on my forehead. So the teacher threw a chalk at me kind of saying, "Hey, I'm here. I'm getting paid to teach you, to teach this class of 30. Why are you looking out the window?" Now, I couldn't even articulate- Mm ... that this, what you're teaching here, doesn't really blow up my skirt. Mm. [laughs] It, uh, it's like, it's not like kind of something that I'm interested in. Yeah. What I'm interested in is what I just saw when I looked out there. Mm. And I saw myself on that stage in London at the Mr. Universe contest, you know? Mm. And, uh, so it's, it's things like that. So, so I think that with me, visualizing became a normal thing. Mm. And I never really knew that I had really a very special ability to visualize and to connect the dots, to say to myself, "Well, if I can see it, then it must be a reality." Mm. And I can m- make it a reality. Mm-hmm. So, so for me, the vision became a reality, so it was only then a matter of following through with the work to get there. And this is why in the book- Yes ... one of the things I talk about is work your ass off. Mm-hmm. [laughs] Because every single time when I had a vision about anything- Yeah ... I had to work my ass off. But it was pleasure. Yeah. [laughs] See, that is the great thing. When you go to work and you know exactly why you're working- Mm ... then it becomes fun. Mm-hmm. A challenge. Mm-hmm. It's entertaining sometimes. And, um, when you read that 78% of the American people hate their jobs, now think about that. I mean, that must be so depressing that you go ... Let's say you're in, working in some car plant, and you do like, you know, kind of the same work, putting a window into a car over and over, you know, 50 times a day, every day, all year long for 30 years. I mean, it, it's tough. Mm. And so this is why it's so important that we really have a clear vision so that you know where to go, and that wherever it is- Mm-hmm ... if it is to become a great auto mechanic, or if it is to be- become a great teacher, or politician, or a high-tech engineer, whatever it is, but to have a vision, and then you go after that and you shoot for that. Because now every step of the way is gonna be great. Mm. You know, when you, when you pick, uh, a doctor. Yeah. Let's say you, "I wanna be a, a doctor. I wanna be a surgeon." A kid says to himself at the age of 15. Well, from that point on, he knows- Yeah ... all the classes he has to take already in high school. And then when he goes to college, he knows which university to go, what kind of classes he has to take, and then how long will it take him, and all of this stuff. So there's a reason for going to school rather than, "Oh, my parents told me that I have to go to college", and you just go to fulfill this obligation, but there's no goal. Yeah. That's what happens to a majority of, of kids today. They don't have the goal, and that's why they end up being one of the 78% that are unhappy with their jobs, and they wish they could change jobs, but, but then it's too late, 'cause now you've created a family and you have to pay for, you know, your rent for the apartment, and you have to put food on the table, and you have to provide money for the kids, and for your wife, and for the family and all this stuff. So it's really tough. So that's why so many people are really- Always looking for an answer or searching for an answer. How can I improve my life? How can I make it a little bit better and all this stuff? And this is why I did the book, you know-

    7. JS

      Yeah

    8. AS

      ... Be Useful.

    9. JS

      I'm glad that you put it in that order, though, because I think for everyone who's listening and watching, a lot of people will say, "I do work hard. I'm working my ass off. I'm working my socks off. I'm, like, doing everything I can." But I think what's really important is that in the book

  7. 31:16 – 49:50

    Setting Goals Give You A Purpose

    1. JS

      you start with have a clear vision.

    2. AS

      Yeah.

    3. JS

      And I agree. I think there are a lot of people who are working really, really hard, and it's almost like if that hard work was channeled toward a clear vision, as you say, then that hard work pays off.

    4. AS

      Right.

    5. JS

      Because otherwise a lot of people just working hard, getting stressed, putting on pressure, but there, there isn't that vision. Have you found... What was the greatest sacrifice you ever made in your life, do you think? And what was the reward that you gained from it? What was the biggest sacrifice?

    6. AS

      That is really the question is, is it really a sacrifice?

    7. JS

      Because you love it.

    8. AS

      Exactly. To me, it's also a real question is the word discipline.

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. AS

      Because I tell you, I felt many times that I'm not a disciplined person.

    11. JS

      Mm.

    12. AS

      But people always insist and say, "Oh, it must take so much discipline every day to get up. And every day you were in the gym at 7:00 in the morning, and you worked at the 9:30 in the morning, and then you went to college after that, and then you went this and that, this, and you worked in construction." So I was, like, looking forward to getting up in the morning and looking forward driving to the gym and working out two and a half hours and then going down to the beach and taking a run in the deep sand and, uh, getting some cardio work done and all this stuff. I say I was looking forward to it. It was not like, "Oh my God, I have to do another workout." Yes, you do that when... For instance, sometimes people go to the gym, and the doctor says, "You know, you should go to the gym, and you should work out because otherwise, you know, I see some problems coming up, high cholesterol and body fat and this and that. And you're gonna go and wipe out, you know, 10 years younger than you want to." Uh, if there's ever the right time to wipe out. [laughs]

    13. JS

      Yeah.

    14. AS

      But I mean, in any case, so that person you can see in the gym is there, and they're just, they do their reps, and they do their sets, and they're not really into it.

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. AS

      You can see there's no life in their eyes. You know what I'm saying? Where it's like they really, they grab the weight, and they just do their sets, and they get the pump, and they feel good, and they put the weights down and get the next heavier weight, and they're doing a set. And so that's really fun, but that person is kind of like a vegetable in a way. They just cruise around in the gym. They sit on the LifeCycle, and they just pedal away. And when you say to them, you say, "So why do you work out?"

    17. JS

      Mm.

    18. AS

      They have no answer.

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. AS

      Uh, then eventually they say, "Well, to be honest with you, the doctor told me that I should get in shape. That's better for my health-

    21. JS

      Mm

    22. AS

      ... to bring my blood pressure down and my cholesterol down and my body fat down and all this stuff." So they're not really... So I say to them, obviously, I said, "You know what you should do is you should just pick a goal that you can chase." They will say like, "What?" I say, "Well, how much do you weigh?"

    23. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    24. AS

      "I'm weighing 190 pounds, and I want to, I want to lower my body fat, my body weight." I say, "Well, why don't you pick a goal like you want to go down to 170?"

    25. JS

      Mm.

    26. AS

      "And the, the, and it's now March, and by August when you go to the beach, you're gonna have a slimmer waist, less body fat, and you look leaner, and you can be proud of your body." I said, "Pick that goal." "Oh, that's a good idea." I say, "Write it down, and then write down the sets you have to do to get you there, and the amount of reps you have to do, and the amount of LifeCycle that you have to, uh, run, and regular bicycle, and running that you have to do. Write all of this down, and then you mark it off. Every day you mark it off." That's what I did. To me, that was really the, that feedback that I see a line being crossed. That means one was set, was done.

    27. JS

      Mm.

    28. AS

      It was a satisfying kind of a thing. The line was crossed off. The next line was crossed off. And so I tell people that, and then they just say, "Oh my God, this is yeah, yeah, I'm gonna do that. That is such a great idea." Then they come back to me-

    29. JS

      [laughs]

    30. AS

      ... like a few months later, and they said, "This worked."

  8. 49:50 – 54:53

    Compromise Is Part Of Reaching Your Goals

    1. JS

      I agree.

    2. AS

      Yeah.

    3. JS

      Where, where did you go when... A few moments ago you were talking about how the kids are upset when you're governor. Obviously, public gets upset when someone's in a position of power. You've got all these people who rely on you personally and professionally, and you even said to yourself, like, "I couldn't really talk about it. You can't really... No one can really understand that." What did you do at that time? Where did you go for connection and understanding and even getting to talk to yourself at that time?

    4. AS

      Well, you just have to find, uh, you know, a compromise. So what you then do is you just say, "Okay, I'm gonna go and spend an extra day at home." So because it was the choice being in Los Angeles a lot of days or to be in Sacramento.

    5. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    6. AS

      So I spent four days a week in Sacramento and three days a week in Los Angeles, and I decided then to spend another day in Los Angeles and to go to this school recital or to go to some kind of a practice sessions of, uh, you know, my kid playing football or baseball-

    7. JS

      Mm

    8. AS

      ... or something like that, and to go to those things. So to, to figure out a way. And it didn't take anything away from my public service, but it gave a little bit more time, face time for the kids. And you know, it really is a, absolutely crucial for the kids, not just to see their mom coming to school, but they need their dad also.

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. AS

      You know? And so that's exactly what I did. And-

    11. JS

      Yeah

    12. AS

      ... I totally understood, and I talked to my wife about it. Uh, but like I said, on the end, she was really the one-

    13. JS

      Mm

    14. AS

      ... that was, uh, the powerhouse, uh, in the family because she spent, I would say, 80% of the time with the kids, and I did 20%-

    15. JS

      Mm

    16. AS

      ... because I was stuck in Sacramento. And even though she worked also as First Lady, and she was in Sacramento, but, uh, she spent much more time with the kids. And luckily, when you have a good partner, then you can do a lot of those things. Alone, I couldn't have done it.

    17. JS

      Yeah, definitely. And you, you mentioned I think in the documentary too that if there was an Oscars for divorces, then you should get one because of how even in that circumstance you both have found a way to let the kindness be, even the way you're speaking about-

    18. AS

      Yeah, because it-

    19. JS

      ... the family today

    20. AS

      ... because it's, it's kind of the most important thing is it's one thing if you suffer through it. It's another thing if your wife suffers through it. But the kids-

    21. JS

      Mm

    22. AS

      ... are really totally innocent bystanders, right? So we had to kind of, my wife and I were, were very good in working together-

    23. JS

      Mm

    24. AS

      ... so the kids don't really feel a bump in the road.

    25. JS

      Mm.

    26. AS

      And that things are smooth for them. And, uh, again, it's important, I mean, I saw it very clearly that it can be done.

    27. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    28. AS

      And we, and we did it, and we were very happy with, uh, with the outcome. We're very, very proud of our kids. I mean, they're extraordinary.

    29. JS

      Yeah, I had the fortune of interviewing Katherine probably a couple of years ago when her book came out.

    30. AS

      Yeah, yeah.

  9. 54:53 – 1:10:08

    The Art of Selling To Achieve Your Dreams

    1. JS

      One of the lessons in your book is sell, sell, sell, and we just talked about it now when you were talking about almost selling yourself to become governor. There's a certain promotion, marketing approach to galvanizing people to get behind you. And I think the word sales and selling has a lot of... A lot of people have a negative connotation or a difficulty with selling because it almost feels like there has to be something fake about it. I've always found that if you're proud of what you're selling, if you really believe in it- ... then it's easier to sell it. But generally people have a challenge with, like, the word sell. But you say one of your lessons is sell, sell, sell. So walk us through how you were able to... I mean, obviously even all your, all the movies, the franchises you've created, it requires promotion, it requires selling, and of course they were highly entertaining. But tell us what you learned about how to sell effectively but also authentically.

    2. AS

      Well, first of all, I think you're totally right-

    3. JS

      Yeah

    4. AS

      ... that the word selling sometimes comes off sleazy.

    5. JS

      Mm.

    6. AS

      So that's why I can call it promotion or communicating or whatever you call it. And the point of it is that you can have the best product in the world-

    7. JS

      Mm

    8. AS

      ... but if no one knows about it, what's the point of the product?

    9. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    10. AS

      I mean, I would like to, I like to know, uh, for instance, if there is someone out there that does a heart surgery or valve replacement without having to have open heart surgery.

    11. JS

      [laughs] Yeah.

    12. AS

      But if I don't know, I would just go to the hospital and say, "I won't have an open heart surgery. I want to get the valve replaced."

    13. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    14. AS

      But if I know because they promoted it well, I can go now and call that expert and then go and say... So this is why I think it's, it, it's, it's so important. So to me, I learned the art of selling way back when I was 15 years old when I was in trade school and when I was working for this lumberyard kind of construction company, hardware store. It was like a combination of things. We were taught how to sell, uh, the merchandise, and then sometimes we were able to follow the guy that is the boss.

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. AS

      And he one time said to me, he says, "Uh, Arnold, why don't you help me here?" And he would talk, uh, t- to the customer, and I realized quickly that there was something odd going on that all of a sudden his attention focused on the wife.

    17. JS

      Mm.

    18. AS

      It was this couple. They wanted to have some, you know, tiles for the bathroom and for the kitchen, and, uh, he first talked to him and how much money does he want to spend and all of that, what colors and all. Then all of a sudden he was like, he ended up only talking to the woman.

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. AS

      So he says, "So what did you learn?" I say, "Well, I learned that you were really very clear about all the advantages and disadvantages of the various different tiles-

    21. JS

      Mm

    22. AS

      ... and the various different colors that w- " He says, "Yeah, yeah, that, that, that's right. But it's one dimension of it. What else?" I said, "Uh, I don't know." He says, "Did you see how I shifted and my attention went from the husband to the wife?" I said, "Yeah, yeah. What was that all about?" And he says, "Well, I realized that he had really no interest-

    23. JS

      Mm

    24. AS

      ... in the tiles, in what color it should be, what type, real tiles or fake tiles or, or, or, or what. It was her vision, and it was her desire to have new tiles."

    25. JS

      Mm.

    26. AS

      "And he just went along with it because he's the husband, he's the provider of the family. He makes the money. She didn't make the money. Uh, but she had a very clear vision of what she wanted. So I shifted my focus because I realized that she's the customer, not him."

    27. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    28. AS

      "And you got to go and be able to reach the customer."

    29. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    30. AS

      "And this is why I started talking to her more." And he was, uh... And then he just out of courtesy said to him, "So what do you think? Should I deliver it on Thursday?" And she says, "Yeah, whenever." He would just always say whatever, whatever. And she says, "Friday is better because Friday my husband is at home in the afternoon, so he can help me carrying all this stuff up to the second floor and blah, blah." So she was much more precise.

  10. 1:10:08 – 1:15:32

    Identifying Opportunities To Maximize Success

    1. JS

      the, uh... There was one story, actually, that aligns with that selling point that, uh, Will Smith tells of meeting you, and he said that he walked into a room and it was you, Sylvester Stallone, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, and you were the three that inspired him to go international. So he said that when he spoke to you three, you all said to him that the market in the USA is huge, but until you become a global superstar, you're not really a superstar.

    2. AS

      Right.

    3. JS

      And so in the same way as you were saying you were going around the 30 cities of the US, you've done a lot of world touring as well for the movies.

    4. AS

      Well, I explained to him that when I got in the movies, and talking about Conan the Barbarian-

    5. JS

      Yeah

    6. AS

      ... was my first big international movie. Again, the studio says, "We're gonna send you to Cannes, to the film festivals. Then we're gonna go and send you to London and maybe to Rome, and definitely to Japan." So I said, "Well, why are we only going to four places?" They said, "Well, this is where the big markets are. G- Germany, but the Germans always come to England when we do the press junkets in England, so the Germans are taken care of. Then we have the Japanese. We go to Japan and, uh, you're gonna do a big promotion there, and then- then America. Those are the three big markets." So I said, "Okay, if this is the three big markets," I said, "when I look at the globe today," I say, "I see so many other potential markets." I say, "You don't want to build those?"

    7. JS

      Yeah.

    8. AS

      "You don't want to create those?" So I told Will Smith, I said the story. I said, I told him, I said, "I'm gonna go to France, I'm gonna go to England, to Germany, to Holland, to Finland, to Sweden, to Norway. I want to go all over the place. I want to go to the Middle East. I want to go to Africa. I want to go to Australia. I want to go all over the place." I said that-- They said, "You're nuts."

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. AS

      I said, "So," because I was thinking about two things. One is to promote the movie, and the other one is I have to promote myself because most people know me as a bodybuilder-

    11. JS

      Mm

    12. AS

      ... not as an actor. So this is a good opportunity for me to go around the world for the next month and to promote myself as, well, I now, I'm doing movies.

    13. JS

      Yeah.

    14. AS

      And this is my first big movie is, you know, uh, is Conan the Barbarian. So it was, like, a great opportunity. So I told him that. I said, so I slowly started building an international market.

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. AS

      And the studios were extremely pleased because every one of my movies started to get bigger and bigger internationally. So it used to be that one-third was international box office and two-thirds was domestic.

    17. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    18. AS

      Then with me, it started going to be 50/50, so 50% domestic, 50% international, and eventually it became one-third domestic and two-thirds international. So imagine how much more money that it added because of that. And so this was a tremendous power. So I said to him, I said, "Don't ever assume that everyone will know about the movie." I say, "You got to go there. You got to show your face." The people, the journalists like to shake your hand. They like to sit down on a round table with all of their mics sticking out, the, the 10 leading radio programs of that country. They sit all there on the table. You're the, the 11th person that sits there, and now you're telling them stories about the movie.

    19. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    20. AS

      I said, "And they go back to their radio stations, I have an exclusive interview with Will Smith, and he said he's coming out with this movie. It is hot. He looks fantastic. Great actor," and all this. I say, "Hey, how can it hurt?"

    21. JS

      Mm.

    22. AS

      "But do it. Just promote yourself internationally and go from country to country." And he said, "Thank you for this really great advice."

    23. JS

      Mm.

    24. AS

      "Because if the studio would have said that to me, I would have just said, 'Well, they just want to use me.'"

    25. JS

      Yeah.

    26. AS

      He says, "But you saying it, I buy in."

    27. JS

      [laughs]

    28. AS

      "I believe it." And he has been thankful ever since because of that.

    29. JS

      Yeah, yeah.

    30. AS

      Yeah.

  11. 1:15:32 – 1:21:14

    How Does It Feel To Be So Accomplished?

    1. JS

      Having actually achieved all your goals, becoming the biggest bodybuilder of all time, going further, becoming this huge movie star, you know, you just said that you had to go to educate people at one point that you even were a movie star. I think you've been good at redefining yourself and re-educating people about who you are, from bodybuilding to movies to obviously Governor of California. How does it feel to have lived out so many of your visions that you saw so clearly as that young man in Austria? How does that actually feel?

    2. AS

      Well, to, to be honest with you, I always say to people, I would never switch my life with anyone's life, no matter who it is. Because I think that I am the most privileged person in the world. I mean, it's like to, to be able to, to live this many types of lives, to live the life of an athlete, of an amateur, of a professional, to really get the inside scoop. Because when you get the inside scoop of one profession, of one, uh, sport, you pretty much, because you hang out with the top football players, with Joe Namath and all of those guys in the '70s. I mean, and with George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. So you get to know really the inside of all sports, basically. And, uh, I think to learn everything about sports, to then learn everything about entertainment, to be now with the greatest of the greatest. I mean, imagine that I still met people like Frank Sinatra and, uh, Bob Hope, uh, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and all of those guys. The guy that trained me in comedy was Bill- Milton Berle. And, you know, all these old-timer guys. Jimmy Stewart. I mean, the list goes on. Lucille Ball. The list goes on and on and on. To meet all of these people, to work with them, to do photo shoots with them, to go to parties with them, to be at dinner with them, at charity event, uh, events with them. I mean, it's really staggering to have this kind of experience. And then to travel around the world and to meet all these political leaders, from Gorbachev and the, the, you know, every president in the United States, from Ronald Reagan to Jimmy Carter to George Bush and to everyone. The, the, the list goes on and on and on. Clinton and all those guys. Uh, all the way, Nixon. I mean, everyone I met and talked to and hung out with and learned from. Mandela. Um, so it- this is like, I mean, who has the privilege to do that? And to travel around the Middle East and to do the things that people say you can't do, like to go from an Arab country to Israel or from Israel to Arab. I hop back and forth all over the place, from Iraq to J- Jordan, to Israel, uh, to Kuwait. I mean everywhere. And, uh, you know, visiting the American soldiers over there and, uh, to be there. I mean, it's, it's staggering this kind of life. And then to go into the political arena.

    3. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    4. AS

      And then to figure out what makes really a city or a state or a country run and tick, and what kind of players do you need, and how do you negotiate, uh, with all of these people. And how do you bring Democrats and Republicans together, and how do you come up with your own vision of how things should work? Because very quickly, you know, I was a hardcore Republican.

    5. JS

      Mm.

    6. AS

      But very quickly I realized that- That's not where the action is.

    7. JS

      Mm.

    8. AS

      The action is not with one party, that America is Democrats and Republicans decline to state independence together, and so that's the team, and as a team together, we can do great things. But if you start splitting the team, you start falling apart. It's like any football team or basketball team. So I said to myself, "The action is, Arnold, bringing them together."

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. AS

      Don't insult the Democrats. Don't insult anybody. Bring them together, and let's be a public servant rather than a party servant.

    11. JS

      Mm.

    12. AS

      And so that was my new theme. I was so proud of myself as a... Maybe 5,000 other politicians have talked about this-

    13. JS

      Yeah

    14. AS

      ... but I mean, Obama said there's no blue state, no, no, a red state. There's only the United States. But these are bogus lines really. I mean, it sounds good, but I mean, the reality is different. So you really have to show leadership quality, and you really have to kind of make an effort to bring both of them together and to be not afraid to say to the Democrats as a Republican, "I need your help."

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. AS

      But together we can solve this problem. I cannot do alone healthcare reform as a Republican. I need the Democrats. I need everybody. You know? And so this is the kind of things, or building infrastructure, doing anything in this state, it was the, our best work we did together. So I cannot give any party a credit. I have to give the credit to the politicians and to the people, and the people really enjoyed that when Democrats and Republicans got together and campaigned together for propositions to vote for the certain propositions and all of that stuff. So I think, so I was very, very, uh, uh, privileged to be able to do all of those things and to have millions of people listen to you and vote for you. And that, of course, goes to another chapter

  12. 1:21:14 – 1:25:32

    “We are not self-made people…” We Are Made By The People That Shape Us

    1. AS

      and another subject in the book, which is, you know, give something back to the community.

    2. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    3. AS

      You know, because we are not self-made people, and I talk about this at great length in the book. I said, you know, people s- so many times call me a self-made man. I know what you're talking about, but I always want to make clear at the same time, I'm not a self-made man. I was created by my mother and my father. I was created by my teachers, by my coaches, by my bodybuilding champions, that they were my, my idols, and, uh, Joe Weider that brought me to America, Eric Morris, who was my acting coach, Chuck Nicholson, that recommended this acting coach. So all of these people had a tremendous amount. My wife did help me in every step of the way, you know, with the kids. My kids were, uh, really helpful in my career. So I am a product of all of that, and so I think it's important that when we recognize that we have gotten the help, that we therefore give help back. So that's why you have to ask yourself the question, "Okay, now, if everyone helped me to be where I am, how can I now go out and help? Whom? Who can I help? What can I help them with?" And, uh, I talk about it in a book that my father-in-law, Sergeant Shriver, had this great line at the university speech at, uh, Yale, where he said, "Don't look always in a mirror. Don't look at yourself. You know, destroy that mirror. You will be able to look beyond that mirror, and then you will see the millions of people that need your help."

    4. JS

      Mm.

    5. AS

      And so this is what it's all about is to not just look at yourself or be self-consumed. Yes, you can be, but don't forget ever that there's a lot of people out there that need your help.

    6. JS

      Mm.

    7. AS

      And even though when people say, "Well, what can I do? I'm a nobody. I don't have any money," that's bogus. It's an excuse right off the top that I don't want to do anything. Because when you see, um, Hawaii burning down to the ground, there's a lot of things that everyone can do, by just taking some food and bringing it to those poor folks, bringing some clothing, going out and going to some fundraising, and bring a few dollars to them. Whatever it is, you can do something. Or to go into some inner-city school and to help with an after-school program and to help kids r- learn how to read, especially since, you know, in America now we have so many students that, uh, where English is a second language.

    8. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    9. AS

      You know, to help them to learn English and all that stuff. So there's endless amount of things. I just always felt that I have to be all out. I remember when Rudy Giuliani called me when he was mayor of New York. He said, "Oh my God, you know, the buildings came down. We are creating a Twin Tower Fund. Can you send a million dollars?" I said, "Yeah, you got it tomorrow." In two seconds, I didn't even think about it, you know? I said, that's what you do when, when we need, needed masks. Uh, and when COVID, uh, broke out in, uh, in Los Angeles, the hospitals didn't have any masks, so I immediately put in a million dollars towards a fund that we put together, uh, to, to, to raise $8 million and then to get masks, uh, from, uh, all over the world, and especially from Asian countries, and so we can supply them with masks and gowns, uh, and with gloves and with ventilators and stuff like that. There was a company called Flexport that was, was within days got us the masks even though the government said there are no masks around. We can't get any masks. So, you know, these are things like that, or doesn't matter if it's a earthquake or if this or that, you go out and you reach out, and that's why I'm involved in after-school programs. That's why I was involved in Special Olympics and, and being a trainer and a coach for Special Olympians to help them with the winning medals and, uh, becoming champions and all of this stuff. So that's what it, life is all about to To receive and to give

    10. JS

      Mm. Well said, Arnold. Well said. And, uh, yeah, definitely more notes in the book for anyone who wants to dive into some of those stories.

  13. 1:25:32 – 1:25:55

    Arnold Schwarzenegger on Final Five

    1. JS

      But Arnold, we end every episode with a Final Five. So these are a fast five where you have to answer each question in one word or one sentence maximum. So these are your Final Five. The first question is, what is the best advice you've ever heard or received?

    2. AS

      Believe in yourself.

    3. JS

      Second question, what is the worst advice you've ever heard or received?

    4. AS

      It can't be done.

    5. JS

      Good answers. Question number

  14. 1:25:55 – 1:41:25

    Every Accomplishment Leads To The Discovery Of Your Next Goal

    1. JS

      three, you've mastered so many things in your life, what are you currently trying to master?

    2. AS

      Bring all of my talents together into one. The show business, fitness, and, uh, politics all into one, and make that be my new kind of a vision and drive to help the world.

    3. JS

      Wow, what a- Okay, I'm gonna scrap the final... Uh, what does that look like? That's fascinating. What does that look like right now in your mind as you develop it? You can use more than one sentence.

    4. AS

      I want to be out there and help with environmental issues, because I learned about that during my governorship. I want to be out there and help with healthcare issues, with, uh, aging issues, with fitness issues, uh, with entertaining issues, and because it's important to entertain people. So all of those kind of things. So, uh, I have the Schwarzenegger Institute, uh, where we deal with a lot of those various different issues and policies to make it a better world, and I have my environmental conference in Vienna every year where the world comes together, 80, 90 countries come together, and we talk about the environment and how to make this a fossil fuel-free world and reduce pollution so we don't have 7 million people die every year because of pollution.

    5. JS

      Mm. Beautiful. I can't, can't wait to see the impact you have in that space. Uh, question number four has two parts to it. What is your biggest personal success, and what is your biggest personal failure?

    6. AS

      Well, I think that my biggest personal success is, uh, to be able to do the things that I wanted to do. That I visualize them and turn them into reality. And I think my biggest failure, obviously, is my marriage, uh, thing that from a personal point of view and from a professional point of view. I've had many movies go in the toilet. I've lost bodybuilding competitions and power lifting competitions and all that stuff. So I had my plenty of failures. It's always important to bring that up because people should know that you never will be able to go through life without failures. Failures make us learn. Uh, failures make you stronger. Pain makes you stronger. So I think all of that is good.

    7. JS

      Yeah, let's, let's address both of those because it's so true. Like, on the outside, like you said, people can say, "So privileged. You met the presidents. You did this. You did that. You've..." You know, all the wins. You know, when I'm looking around this room, like, everything's iconic. Like, you know, n- nothing's unrecognizable across the whole world. It's all recognizable. But the-- Did you ever feel the pressure when things started to go well of like, "God, the next movie's gotta be bigger, and the next movie's gotta be bigger"? Did you feel that, or did you just kind of, you were just loving it so much that you just kept building, and if it went wrong, that it didn't hurt you that much?

    8. AS

      Um, you know, I never really felt, uh, that much pressure probably about, about anything, to be honest with you, because I knew what I wanted and, um, I never really fell for this thing of what did the people expect me to do. So I just, I create my vision, and when everyone says it's impossible, I go after it with vengeance. It's like I go all out 100%, and it gives me joy. And it is-- What is great about it is that every time that you accomplish something really big, you see and become aware of other things that, uh, new challenges-

    9. JS

      Sure

    10. AS

      ... that you didn't even think about.

    11. JS

      Yes.

    12. AS

      I mean, did I ever think about that I will fight for the environment? No.

    13. JS

      Mm.

    14. AS

      But because of the governorship, you know, this is like, uh, the thing I talk about in the book-

    15. JS

      Mm

    16. AS

      ... about Hillary-

    17. JS

      Mm-hmm

    18. AS

      ... who climbs Mount Everest, and he's up there, and all of a sudden he sees another peak-

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. AS

      ... to be climbed, right?

    21. JS

      Yeah.

    22. AS

      And he say, "There's the next one." So there's the same thing. I go and win the governorship. I go in there. I start w- working on the governorship, uh, uh, and, and all the different policies, and I'm meeting all these scientists and experts and talk, they talk about, you know, how many people die every year because of pollution, and we can do something about it. And I dive into that. It's a new peak. Oh my God, no one has really explored that. Forget the 19% of renewables. We have to have 50% renewables. Forget about, you know, reducing greenhouse gases by 5%. We have to br- uh, reduce it by 25%, and we have to do it by 2020. And so you set big goals. So this is the new peak-

    23. JS

      Mm

    24. AS

      ... that you're climbing.

    25. JS

      Mm.

    26. AS

      And you go all out for that. Then when you get there, then you see another peak beyond that. So this is what is, um, fun-

    27. JS

      Yeah

    28. AS

      ... and this makes my life rich.

    29. JS

      Yeah.

    30. AS

      You know? That there's always something new and different. And I, I, I, I, I tell you that, um, I also learn when I, for instance, listen to you because you come from a totally different world, right? So just you have a different spin on things. So that when I listen to this, I say, I say, "Oh, that, that's an interesting way of looking at it."

  15. 1:41:25 – 1:48:51

    Finding Clarity Through Meditation

    1. JS

      you also have a meditation practice? Is that right?

    2. AS

      I, I used to.

    3. JS

      Mm.

    4. AS

      In the '70s, there was a time when I got out of bodybuilding and into show business, and there was all kinds of things happening in the mid-'70s. So I was doing my last year of competition, uh, in 1975 in South Africa, Mr. Olympia, so I was training for that. I was finishing off my movie, Stay Hungry, with Bob Rafelson and Sa- Sally Fields and Jeff Bridges. You know, uh, doing that. And I was at the same time going full blast into show business, taking acting classes, and investing my money in real estate. So I was, no matter which way I was turning, I was, like, scrambling. And at that point, I did not know much about how to isolate and just concentrate on one thing at a time.

    5. JS

      Mm-hmm. Mm.

    6. AS

      So I'm hanging out with this guy, this skinny rat down on the beach, and he's a, a transcendental meditation teacher.

    7. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    8. AS

      But he never talked about it. So I said to him, I said, "You know, I feel frantic. I mean, it's like everything is so o- a little bit overwhelming for me. I'm doing this movie. I'm shooting the documentary, Pumping Iron. I'm going to the competition. I'm, uh, finishing off Stay Hungry. I am trying to do real estate and become a millionaire. Uh, I'm all over the place." He says, "Now let me talk to you a little bit."

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. AS

      Very calmly talks to me about it, and he says, "Why don't you come up to Westwood and take some transcendental meditation?"

    11. JS

      Mm. Mm.

    12. AS

      He says, "I cannot be your teacher even though I'm a teacher." I said, "You're a teacher? Transcendental-" "Yeah." He said, "But I cannot be your teacher. It's our rules where we have friendship and stuff like if there's someone else." He says, "But don't worry, I set you up with the right guy."

    13. JS

      Mm.

    14. AS

      So I go up there, and I do the... I learn now about meditation.

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. AS

      And as I got into it, I was then doing meditation, like, for months-

    17. JS

      Wow

    18. AS

      ... throughout the summer, that hectic summer. And when the summer was over, it wasn't that hectic anymore.

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. AS

      So what I learned from meditation was, you know, how to kind of like, first of all, rejuvenate the mind- And to kind of disconnect the mind. But also what I learned was how to focus on one thing at the time-

    21. JS

      Mm

    22. AS

      ... and to just look at that with no peripheral vision-

    23. JS

      Mm

    24. AS

      ... so that nothing comes in. Solve this, and then don't think about anything else, and then go over here-

    25. JS

      Mm

    26. AS

      ... and solve this.

    27. JS

      Mm.

    28. AS

      And then solve this. Because you c- he said you can never do all of it in one time anyway.

    29. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    30. AS

      And as soon as you single out things, it becomes much more approachable and much more doable.

Episode duration: 1:48:51

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