A thank you letter to Arnold Schwarzenegger

I gave quite some thought before deciding who to thank in this letter. In fact, I will probably end up writing several of these, since there is quite a large amount of people that influenced me throughout my life. My choice of starting with the former Governor of California was based on one big fact – Arnold helped me immigrate to the United States.

At an early age, I did not have that many dreams. As a Brazilian, my one and only life goal were to become a successful soccer player – it might sound like an exaggeration, but I am pretty confident that the majority of Brazilians wished to be soccer player at some point in their life. At least the male population. But that was it. Nothing else.

I grew up without much ambition in me. I did what kids do. Went to school, played with friends, discovered new things as I grew older. What kept me grounded, in a way that I did not believe I could achieve much, were my humble origins. The United States, for instance, always sounded like another planet to me. Europe was the same thing. All those places felt so out of reach. Even places in Brazil itself felt far away. There was not much hope that things would get better. It was an average thinking that I had, where I always believed I would live up only to what my parents lived up to because that was everything I knew.

All of it changed when I heard the story of the Austrian boy that came to America and conquered everything. If I thought I had it bad, it was because I hadn’t opened my eyes to what other people go through. Arnold, for instance, grew up in post-Second World War Austria. The highlight of his childhood, according to his autobiography, was the purchase of a fridge. His family had finally gotten enough to afford it.

Something so trivial for many of us, including me – to have the privilege to not only own a fridge but also have food in it. The drive he demonstrated once he found out what he wanted to do was the biggest inspiration for me to do the same with my own goals. Once he found bodybuilding, he didn’t stop until he achieved the highest post anyone in that world could achieve. From his confessions and statements, he revealed how much work it took to get what he wanted. It was a lot, a lot of work. Even after seeing everything he did, I was still much pleased when I heard another one of his many speeches, this time regarding the self-built millionaire title many like to attribute to some. He said, and I completely agree with him, he was not a self-built millionaire. There were so many people throughout his life that helped him one way or another. Yes, he would not be anywhere had he not worked hard, but that would also be true had he not had the help he had. From small things, advices, to the biggest contracts and donations, people will always need other people to achieve greatness. Personally, I don’t think anyone should ever call themselves self-built anything.

For one, I learned most of the English I had before arriving in the United States from YouTube. I would sit down, listen to lessons, practice with tests from the internet, and so on. But had the people that put all those opportunities, videos, and tests out there not done so, I would not have learned what I did. There are many things I learned from Arnold, and one of them is that we don’t get anywhere without help. We are always dependent on other people. Employers are dependent on their employees. Actors on their agents, producers, fans. Billionaires on all the investors, and workers that make their business a reality. There is no such thing as a self-built man or woman. And I am confident I will never change my mind on that. I know that I needed and will keep needing help from other people to achieve all the dreams that I now have. Which is another thing I got from Arnold.

From bodybuilder to actor, from actor to politician, the man that brought us Conan, is always pursuing new things. Which is what inspired me to try anything I felt like trying. Writing included. A few years ago, I could not even imagine writing texts or essays. Now I have a self-published book, a second one on the way, and many short stories done. I don’t intend to stop. It is a passion I did not know I had until I tried. I am definitely still working on it. Improving my craft, if you will. There is much to learn and many hours to spend learning. I look forward to it. The process is ahead of me, and like Arnold would do, I will put my head down and get to work.

Believe in yourself, break some rules, don’t be afraid to fail, ignore the naysayers, work like hell, and give something back. Those are the six rules for success that Arnold preaches. Rules that I follow in my life and that have been helping me accomplish much more I ever thought I would.

The beauty of all this hard work is understanding that the results will come, and the satisfaction of achieving something after so much time invested is astonishing. The feeling I had, for one, when I finished my first book, was unbelievable. It fueled me with the energy to keep going. To write more. As I embark on new journeys with this new year, I desire only to live up to one of my idols. To follow through with what I set myself to work for, and then work. Work like hell.

Arnold is a human with many defects and many qualities. Like all of us, if you ask me. The things he did to give back to his community empowers me to do the same. I wish to one day, be as great as he is. To help others achieve their dreams while I achieve mine as well.

There is not much more to be said here. When I believed I was stuck in my hometown, Arnold's speeches inspired me to work hard and find a way out. I did, and here I am. I choose now to put myself on the road to success again. There is much, much work to be done, but the results will come, and when they do, I will shoot for more. I will be here again. I will be back.