Arnold Schwarzenegger Advised a Teen on How to Avoid a Mundane Life
Arnold Schwarzenegger is inarguably a cultural icon, basically an institution of a man. And he credits much of his success to the epic vision he had for himself and his life.
Sure, all this "vision" talk can often sound like a lot of celebrity mumbo-jumbo. But Schwarzenegger took to his newsletter on his 74 birthday to advise fans on how to create a fulfilling reality—and you'll actually want to take notes.
In his newsletter, Schwarzenegger answered a fan question from a 19-year-old dreading mundane adult life. As part of his question, the teen asked Schwarzenegger if he believes life can be "fun and great" as an adult.
"I see so many adults just depressed with life, stuck in jobs they don’t like with no social life and no goals or aspirations," the fan laments. "I was talking to my mum and she just said, 'That’s life.'"
In his response, Schwarzenegger writes that he felt similarly as a kid and dreamt of creating a different reality for himself.
"I think the key thing for leading a great life, and I end up saying this in every newsletter because it is so damn important, is having a vision," Schwarzenegger advises. "Sit down and really figure out who you want to be and why—not just what you want to be."
Schwarzenegger explains that finding who you want to be is essential to overall fulfillment. And this is where that "vision" talk comes in. Basically, Schwarzenegger tells the teen to find your passion and pursue it—and that's your vision.
"If you just think, 'What do I want to be?' and you decide to be a lawyer because that makes you money, you’ve decided what you want to be and your why is money," Schwarzenegger writes. "If you decide to be a lawyer because you’re passionate about criminal justice, or constitutional rights, or maybe even business law, you’ve decided who you want to be and your why is because it is your vision."
Like a true 70-something-year-old, Schwarzenegger implores the teen to put down his phone and work at this vision to escape the dull life he dreads.
"I just saw a stat that teens spend seven hours a day on their phones," Schwarzenegger writes. "I always tell people you only have 24 hours every day and you have to use every minute. Compared to you guys, when I was a teenager, I had seven extra hours every single day to figure out my vision and start working on it. That’s 49 hours every week—more than a full workweek. It’s 2,555 hours a year. 106 days! ON A PHONE!"
Schwarzenegger tells the fan to take at least two of those extra hours to "work on yourself, read books, try hobbies, and find what makes your passion click." Then, he says, you can build your vision.
"I can promise you, whether your vision is having a normal job and being a great dad or mom or becoming a great artist, if you know who you want to be, life will never be boring," Schwarzenegger writes. "Because every step will mean progress toward your vision."
To sum up his wise advice, Schwarzenegger concludes: "Find your vision. Find who you want to be. And chase it. I promise it won’t be boring, even when you’re old like me."
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