Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Power of A Clear Vision

Written By Evan Burk

The Power of A Clear Vision

A three-part documentary series covering the rise, the career, and the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger is currently airing on Netflix. If you're interested in high performance, the strategic planning of building a successful career, and what it means to pursue excellence in whatever you do in life, this series is well worth the viewing.

In the first episode covering his athletic and body building career, Arnold attributes his quick ascent and success at an early age to the power of his mind as much as the sculpting of his body. “The idea was to sculpt the body to your will,” he says in the episode, “But it can also be used to shape your mind — to do the things that everyone calls impossible. I had a fire in the belly for much, much more.”

A large part of Schwarzenegger's rise to the top of body building was how clearly he developed his mindset, specifically the power he derived from a clear vision for exactly what he was trying to achieve in his sport.

Arnold Schwarzenegger on the power of a clear vision

"I saw my career in front of me. I saw myself on that Mr. Universe stage. I just had to replace Reg Park's head, put my head on it, and stand there with the trophy and flex my muscles. And I saw the thousands of people in the auditorium screaming 'Arnold! Arnold! Arnold!'

It's not a fantasy. And it's not a dream. I said, 'No, f*ck the dream. What are you gonna do with a dream?' You have to have a clear vision. And when you visualize something really clearly, you believe that you 100% can get there."

This clear vision, combined with a strong alignment of the behaviors to achieve this vision, drove Arnold to the top of professional body building, acting, and politics. This is a fantastic show for anyone that is a fan of documentaries, and honestly Netflix does such a good job with it's production and presentation that I think even casual viewers would enjoy seeing Arnold's story.

​"Arnold"​ is available to view now on Netflix.

If you don't have Netflix, I'd recommend ​Tim Ferriss' interview with Schwarzenegger​ on his podcast back in 2015 where he talks about his career, how his confidence came from his vision, and the mental side of competition.

Evan Burk

Evan Burk is a speaker, former NFL coach, and podcast host who uses the sports world as his backdrop to engage audiences with thought-provoking lessons of leadership, team-building, and creating championship cultures.

Evan Burk is not your typical football coach. Despite not playing football beyond high school and no network in the coaching profession, Evan's unlikely football journey began as a 4th grade coach, where he quickly worked his way to the NFL in just 6 years, and included coaching for teams such as the Miami Dolphins, UCLA, and SMU.

After spending fifteen-plus years working with the highest-performing athletes, coaches, and teams on the planet, Coach Burk uses his unique football coaching background to teach people how to utilize the same strategies in business and life that elite players and teams use to perform at a world-class level.

Evan received his B.S. in business management from the University of Colorado, and his Master of Liberal Studies degree from Southern Methodist University. He also hosts his own weekly sports leadership podcast, The Highest Level, where he reveals how championship team cultures are built and the keys to leadership excellence at the highest level.

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