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Tim FerrissArnold Schwarzenegger Returns | The Tim Ferriss Show (Podcast)
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CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 8:38
Responding to Trump's tweets
Arnold describes the setting and how he handled the president-elect's tweets about him. He explains why he didn't respond right away and how he arrived at his final response about serving all Americans.
- •Don't respond immediately or with raw emotion
- •His first instinct was a skunk line, which he rejected
- •He expected the tweet because he had said he wouldn't vote for Trump
- •His response urged putting energy into serving all Americans, Democrats, Republicans and independents
- 8:38 – 14:33
Running for governor and leading as a person
Arnold names running for governor as his toughest choice, citing the money he gave up and his wife's reluctance. He then advises women leaders to see themselves as leaders rather than as women, and explains why he pushed women's bodybuilding.
- •Running for governor meant walking away from potentially over $100 million in movie income
- •His wife was not enthusiastic because of her family's experience with politics
- •Leaders should paint a clear vision and inspire people
- •He cites Gandhi, Thatcher, Meir, Merkel and Catherine the Great
- •He helped start the Ms. Olympia competition
- 14:33 – 18:38
Sleep schedule and morning routine
Arnold explains that he now wakes about six hours after falling asleep, wherever he is. He shares sleep habits and argues that organizing your day matters more than obsessing over sleep.
- •He slept nine hours at 19 and now averages about six
- •No iPhone or iPad in the bedroom and no heavy business debates before bed
- •He can doze off watching TV
- •Early risers tend to be the most successful people
- •Health-wise, get the sleep you need
- 18:38 – 20:52
Environment and economy: California's example
Asked what he believes that others find crazy, Arnold says you can protect the environment and the economy together. He points to California's strong environmental laws alongside economic growth.
- •California is the fifth-largest economy in the world
- •Commitments to cut greenhouse gases 25% and reach nearly 50% renewables by 2020
- •California GDP growth of 4.2% versus the national 1.5 to 2%
- •The green sector produces ten times more jobs than any other sector in California
- 20:52 – 26:06
Mental preparation through reps, and aging well
Arnold says practice and repetition are how you prepare for any competition or audition, and explains his habit of writing tallies. He then covers how aging changes diet and fitness, including a slower metabolism and his own battle with desserts.
- •Reps build confidence and reduce fear
- •"Übung macht den Meister"
- •He writes tallies on speeches because of his chalk-and-gym background
- •Metabolism slows with age, so avoid bread, desserts and large meals
- •He often has just soup at night
- 26:06 – 31:52
Communicating on pollution and the Prop 23 campaign
Arnold argues environmentalists communicate poorly by focusing on distant climate change instead of the seven million annual deaths from pollution. He lays out his four-legged stool and describes the anti-Prop 23 campaign that used the health message.
- •Pollution kills seven million people a year, more than traffic accidents or wars
- •Four-legged stool: climate change, pollution, green jobs, national security
- •People respond to what is happening now, like stopping the bleeding first
- •The health message beat Prop 23 by 80% of the vote
- •Republicans and Democrats alike want clean air and water
- 31:52 – 42:21
Failure, giving back, and tunnel vision
Arnold says everyone fails, citing Michael Jordan and Ted Williams and his own losses. He says charity is what he wishes he'd learned earlier, and that success demands tunnel vision and sacrifice.
- •The winner gets up and the loser stays down
- •He failed in competitions, lifts, films and books
- •Charity: Special Olympics, after-school programs and the President's Council on Physical Fitness
- •"There's no such thing as a self-made man"
- •Sacrifices like skipping skiing, and insurance bans during movies
- •Not everyone needs to be as driven; many roads lead to happiness
- 42:21 – 51:02
Warren Buffett friendship and the state of bodybuilding
Arnold explains how his friendship with Warren Buffett developed and why Buffett supported him and The Celebrity Apprentice. He then discusses modern bodybuilding's growth and his dislike of the extreme physiques now winning.
- •Buffett is a decades-long friend who isn't really into money
- •Buffett endorsed Arnold's run for governor despite being a Democrat
- •Resistance training now accepted in hospitals, sports and the military
- •Competitive bodybuilding grew from 30 to 192 countries
- •He dislikes the blocky 300-pound look and wants a return to the classic V-shape
- 51:02 – 57:20
Risk, failure and staying motivated
Arnold says risk shouldn't be the goal; the goal should be big, and fear of failure shouldn't stop you. He links his risk-taking to weightlifting and says a clear vision keeps him motivated.
- •Set a high goal and don't fear failure
- •Higher risk brings higher potential reward, as in investing
- •In weightlifting you attempt weights you've never lifted
- •Vision, such as becoming like Clint Eastwood, drives motivation
- •Now his vision of a clean world drives his environmental work
- 57:20 – 1:03:07
Real estate investing and the supersonic airport land
Arnold describes his real estate approach, from his first apartment building to rolling profits into bigger properties. He recommends an income property first and explains the Palmdale land bought for a supersonic airport that never came.
- •Goal was to turn $1 into two, and keep it interesting
- •Saved $27,000 and bought a six-unit building in Santa Monica, with $10,000 from Joe Weider
- •Sold it for $365,000 and rolled into larger buildings
- •Buy an income property before a house
- •Spending versus investing: furniture loses value
- •The $5,000 raw land is now worth $680,000
- 1:03:07 – 1:07:37
Laws, Congress and working across party lines
Arnold says he'd change the law so foreign-born citizens can run for president. He argues that lawmakers who don't perform on critical problems should be voted out and that Democrats and Republicans must work together.
- •Change the law so foreign-born citizens can run for president
- •Voted out if they fail on immigration, energy and infrastructure
- •Infrastructure needs: high-speed rail, airports, water storage
- •One-party laws like Obamacare and executive orders don't last
- •He worked with a Democratic-dominated state government
- •Eisenhower's road analogy: the center is drivable
- 1:07:37 – 1:17:20
Bricklaying business and closing questions
Arnold explains how he and Franco Columbu got their bricklaying business going, helped by the 1971 earthquake and a "European bricklayers" ad. The episode ends with a joke about fighting Tim and closing remarks.
- •The 1971 earthquake brought hundreds of calls
- •They hired bodybuilders from the gym
- •LA Times ad advertised "European bricklayers and masonry workers"
- •Americans like foreign branding
- •Humorous answer on fighting Tim, then praise for the podcast
