Arnold Schwarzenegger became one of the greatest bodybuilders ever, made a name for himself in the film industry, and served as the governor of California. He came to the USA in 1968 with little knowledge of English and a dream.

But his life plans didn’t match the ones his parents had for him. Growing up in Austria, Schwarzenegger had a difficult childhood. But he was determined to follow his dreams and went for it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had a unique vision

Arnold Schwarzenegger grew up in Thal, Austria, to a local police chief, Gustav, and his wife, Aurelia. His father was strict and abusive and wanted him to be a policeman like him. His mother, on the other hand, wanted him to settle down and live a normal life.

But Schwarzenegger couldn’t see that future for himself. “I couldn’t see myself becoming a farmer, or a worker in a factory, or anything like that. Even though my parents wanted me to stay there and have a normal life,” he said. “But that was their vision, not mine.”

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One day after school, Schwarzenegger saw a bodybuilding magazine with Reg Park on the cover in Graz. He read the magazine cover to cover and found himself inspired. “I read that and said to myself, ‘Wow. This is the blueprint for my life.’ I wanted to become a bodybuilding champion like Reg Park,” he narrated.

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At age 10, Schwarzenegger already dreamed of moving to America. And bodybuilding was his ticket to moving there. He started weight training at age 15 and took to visiting a gym in Graz. In 1967, he became the youngest Mr. Universe champion at age 20. He won that title again the next year and leveraged his bodybuilding prowess to move to America.

Schwarzenegger on why it’s important to have a vision

The seven-time Mr. Olympia champion has said on many occasions that the secret to his success is that he always had a vision. Shooting in the dark never got anybody anywhere. “If you don’t have a goal, if you don’t have a vision, you just drift around, and you’re not gonna be happy,” he said.

Learning about Reg Park’s life gave Schwarzenegger a road map to achieve his dream of moving to America. Similarly, Schwarzenegger wanted to become a bodybuilding champion, move to the States, and get his big break in film acting.

“From that moment on, everything that I did, no matter how hard I had to work or how much I had to struggle, it didn’t matter ’cause I knew what the purpose was, and I found my passion,” he explained. And his efforts bore fruit.

He became a bodybuilding legend and probably the biggest action hero in Hollywood in the 80s, his signature ‘Terminator’ franchise making him millions. Schwarzenegger pursued a political career, served almost two terms as the governor of California, and donated money to charitable causes. He is currently worth $450 million and he did it out of sheer determination and hard work.

WATCH THIS STORY: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Massive Chest Muscles Compared to Other Bodybuilders