When I was much younger, I was intensely focused on myself. Everything I did had to be connected to my being and welfare. My goals were to come to America, become a bodybuilding champion, then an action hero and make millions of dollars. I believed that if I did all that, I would be the happiest man alive. I felt it was essential to channel all my energies into pursuing my personal development. I trained hard, ate right and disciplined my mind so that I could become a stronger competitor. Even though I became a champion, I had yet to discover how I could use my body not just to inspire others to change their bodies, but also how to change their lives.
You may recall a scene in Pumping Iron (shot in the mid-1970s) in which Franco Columbu and I are posing for a group of inmates at a prison. That wasn’t something that was staged just for the movie. We did actually go to prisons to give posing exhibitions. I knew that weight training was one of the few things a lot of these guys had to get them through their days, and I figured the chance to see professional bodybuilders in person might have a positive effect on them — and it did. One thing we noticed after doing those prison appearances was that we always walked away feeling good that we had made others feel good. As a matter of fact, we felt better after those appearances than when we won a competition.
In the late ’70s, I became involved with the Special Olympics — the games that were founded by Eunice Shriver, Maria’s mother. Training with those kids and being their coach made me feel good all over again. During a 1980 conversation, the man who would become my father-in- law, Sargent Shriver — who served in President John Kennedy’s administration and was the main organizer of the Peace Corps — told me the number-one thing you can do in life is be a public servant. I said to myself, This guy is nuts. The number-one thing you can do in life is swing a sword and be Conan the Barbarian. Twenty-six years later, I realize he was absolutely correct.
In 1990, I became the chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under President George H.W. Bush and traveled to all 50 states to hold fitness summits. Later, as founder of the Inner-City Games, I strove to educate young people in this country about the importance of good health. I spoke of the dangers of junk food and alcohol, and knowing I was helping to change lives for the better made me feel good. I realized that the more I helped others, the better I felt about myself.
Throughout the years, I have continued in various capacities to work with physically, mentally and socially disadvantaged children. For me, it has been an absolute joy to be able to interact with these children — to teach them and to learn from them. For all the fame, success and wealth I may have attained in my lifetime, none of it brings me the level of joy and satisfaction I get from looking into the eyes of a smiling child whose day I helped make a little brighter.
Bodybuilding, more than any other sport I can think of, is an extremely tight-knit community. Bodybuilders share a kinship that comes from knowing that we all chose the most difficult path to self- improvement, and I have always been proud to count myself among the bodybuilding fraternity.
Because of the closeness of our community, I have always felt able to rely upon my fellow bodybuilders for their support, which is why I am asking you, the readers of FLEX, to join me in helping those with fewer advantages than ourselves. Make a contribution to an organization, donate a few hours to a mentoring program, even ask an elderly neighbor if he or she could use anything from a store. Take a child in deprived circumstances to a gym. Get involved in local Special Olympics projects. Check out the Internet for details on leading charities you can help locally. Just endeavor to undertake an act of goodwill.
Sargent Shriver once gave a speech at Yale University’s graduation ceremony. In it, he very movingly beseeched the graduates to break the mirrors in front of them. Once they did, he said, they would then be able to look beyond themselves and see the millions of people out there who are in need of their help. I’m asking the same of all of you who are reading this. Although you should certainly use a mirror as a tool to help ensure that your bodybuilding goals are being met, don’t spend too much time there. Take the time to look beyond it and apply the same focus and determination you’ve developed as a bodybuilder to benefit others. You’ll not only brighten someone else’s day, you’ll be brightening your own. You’ll be helping other people in need and you’ll be helping yourself to become a more complete human being. The question you must ask yourself is not How much can I take from life? but rather How much can I give back? Trust me, I know of what I speak.
FLEX
Continue reading...
You may recall a scene in Pumping Iron (shot in the mid-1970s) in which Franco Columbu and I are posing for a group of inmates at a prison. That wasn’t something that was staged just for the movie. We did actually go to prisons to give posing exhibitions. I knew that weight training was one of the few things a lot of these guys had to get them through their days, and I figured the chance to see professional bodybuilders in person might have a positive effect on them — and it did. One thing we noticed after doing those prison appearances was that we always walked away feeling good that we had made others feel good. As a matter of fact, we felt better after those appearances than when we won a competition.
In the late ’70s, I became involved with the Special Olympics — the games that were founded by Eunice Shriver, Maria’s mother. Training with those kids and being their coach made me feel good all over again. During a 1980 conversation, the man who would become my father-in- law, Sargent Shriver — who served in President John Kennedy’s administration and was the main organizer of the Peace Corps — told me the number-one thing you can do in life is be a public servant. I said to myself, This guy is nuts. The number-one thing you can do in life is swing a sword and be Conan the Barbarian. Twenty-six years later, I realize he was absolutely correct.
In 1990, I became the chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under President George H.W. Bush and traveled to all 50 states to hold fitness summits. Later, as founder of the Inner-City Games, I strove to educate young people in this country about the importance of good health. I spoke of the dangers of junk food and alcohol, and knowing I was helping to change lives for the better made me feel good. I realized that the more I helped others, the better I felt about myself.
Throughout the years, I have continued in various capacities to work with physically, mentally and socially disadvantaged children. For me, it has been an absolute joy to be able to interact with these children — to teach them and to learn from them. For all the fame, success and wealth I may have attained in my lifetime, none of it brings me the level of joy and satisfaction I get from looking into the eyes of a smiling child whose day I helped make a little brighter.
Bodybuilding, more than any other sport I can think of, is an extremely tight-knit community. Bodybuilders share a kinship that comes from knowing that we all chose the most difficult path to self- improvement, and I have always been proud to count myself among the bodybuilding fraternity.
Because of the closeness of our community, I have always felt able to rely upon my fellow bodybuilders for their support, which is why I am asking you, the readers of FLEX, to join me in helping those with fewer advantages than ourselves. Make a contribution to an organization, donate a few hours to a mentoring program, even ask an elderly neighbor if he or she could use anything from a store. Take a child in deprived circumstances to a gym. Get involved in local Special Olympics projects. Check out the Internet for details on leading charities you can help locally. Just endeavor to undertake an act of goodwill.
Sargent Shriver once gave a speech at Yale University’s graduation ceremony. In it, he very movingly beseeched the graduates to break the mirrors in front of them. Once they did, he said, they would then be able to look beyond themselves and see the millions of people out there who are in need of their help. I’m asking the same of all of you who are reading this. Although you should certainly use a mirror as a tool to help ensure that your bodybuilding goals are being met, don’t spend too much time there. Take the time to look beyond it and apply the same focus and determination you’ve developed as a bodybuilder to benefit others. You’ll not only brighten someone else’s day, you’ll be brightening your own. You’ll be helping other people in need and you’ll be helping yourself to become a more complete human being. The question you must ask yourself is not How much can I take from life? but rather How much can I give back? Trust me, I know of what I speak.
FLEX
Continue reading...
