Stories of Reinvention: Arnold Schwarzenegger

The story of Arnold begins in the small town of Thal, a tiny village in central Austria. Like most kids growing up in Thal, Arnold loved to play football (soccer), but at the age of 14, his coach dragged a skinny Arnold into the gym and showed him the weight room.

At this age, most kids are still trying to figure out what free period to take and summoning the courage to talk to their crush, but Arnold says that at fourteen, his plan was formed. His father wanted him to be a police officer, and his mother wanted him to go to a trade school, but Arnold knew that if he dedicated himself to bodybuilding, he could win the Mr. Europe contest, go on to compete in the Mr. Universe contest and that would be his ticket to America--"the land of opportunity, where I could be a star and get rich," he would say.

With a lot of hard work, his plan to get to America followed his plan. In 1965, he was named "best-built man of Europe," this gave him the ticket he needed to compete in the Mr. Universe contest, becoming the youngest winner ever at the age of 20 in 1967. The trip to America didn't immediately follow his win. It wouldn't be until three years later that he would move to Venice, California, and train at Gold's Gym. From 1969 until 1980, Arnold would go on to win eight Mr. Olympia titles, but while still competing in bodybuilding, his sights were now on a new goal.

The allure of the big screen and getting rich drove Arnold's decision to move to California. As he continued to compete in bodybuilding, he also pursued acting opportunities, appearing as the title character in Hercules in New York in 1970. He would go on to appear in more minor roles throughout the decade, but his big break came in 1982 when he starred in Conan the Barbarian. His appearance as Conan led to him becoming one of the biggest action stars of all time, starring in The Terminator, Predator, True Lies, The Expendables, and more.

Of course, just acting wasn't enough for Arnold. Just as he was simultaneously competing in bodybuilding and acting in the 70s and 80s, he would go on to simultaneously act and become politically active throughout the 90s and 00s.

In the early 90s, Arnold was appointed chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by President George H. W. Bush. As he became more politically active, he seized the opportunity to run for California Governor when Gray Davis was recalled. He won the governorship in 2003 and would win again in 2006, serving until January 2011.

At this point, when he could have taken his money and faded into retirement, Arnold went back to work acting. Appearing and starring in movies such as The Expendables 2, The Last Stand, Terminator Genisys, and others.

The reinvention of Arnold has been a constant. He has been able to simultaneously devote himself to being the best in his field while also pursuing the next thing. He has been a constant embracer of the And. He was never just a bodybuilder---he was a bodybuilder AND a student,

he was a bodybuilder AND an actor,

he was an actor AND a businessman,

he was an actor AND a politician,

he was a politician AND then an actor again,

he was an actor AND a businessman.

Arnold's reinvention has been a constant melding of new pursuits.

Reinvention doesn't need to be an all-or-nothing pursuit, it can be an embracing of the and. We are all complex individuals who have different goals and passions. Arnold saw that and embraced the pursuit of one goal while keeping another goal in mind, making his reinvention a constant transformation.