Arnold Schwarzenegger is by far one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but over the years, the actor has tried his hand at various fields. From bodybuilding to acting and even politics, it is no surprise that he is one of the most successful stars in the industry. However, while he might be one of the greats, The Terminator star has always mentioned just how much his move to the States made him a changed person.

In fact, after years of praising the nation for being the place where dreams could be made true, the 76-year-old star shared a different picture of America in his latest book.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s picture of America

Arnold Schwarzenegger believes one should be able to sell themselves to be successful. But he also advises needing one more thing: a clear vision. After all, that’s what got him to the US. In an excerpt from his latest book, Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life, Arnold Schwarzenegger gives his readers a look at the plans he had for himself when he made the shift to the US. He also referred to it as his “earliest vision” for his life. Having grown up in Germany, the Austrian Oak recalled how everywhere he looked, he would see “the most amazing things about America.” 

Throughout his early life, the FUBAR star was heavily influenced by the American way of living through magazines and images. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the Empire State Building, America’s monuments took over the world through pictures. They even took over Schwarzenegger’s dreams. So much so that the actor penned down that they “should have come with a warning” as they were like “Viagra for dreams.”

While the actor goes on to say that the images of the States were what made him realize it was where he belonged, he still had no clue what to pursue back then. However, it was a little push from the bodybuilders before him that carved out his path.

How Arnold Schwarzenegger’s American vision laid the foundation of his decades-long career

The latest book, Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life, shares the actor’s experiences but gives its readers a step-by-step plan they can follow to reach his level of success. While his love for the States was already extremely strong, in his book, the 7 time Mr. Olympia winner claimed to have let his “imagination run wild” as a child. Arnold Schwarzenegger, thankfully, had role models right from Graz to help him plan out his career goals.

He knew he wanted to live in America but his plans became even clearer after reading about the powerlifter, Kurt Marnul. He got to see the career trajectory of those who played Hercules, especially Reg Park, and the bodybuilders featured in Joe Weider’s magazines. This sowed the seed for his illustrious career as a bodybuilding and later his foray into acting.

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