There are few more remarkable examples of someone achieving the American Dream than Arnold Schwarzenegger. He had a humble upbringing in Austria, where his family struggled to make ends meet. Still, after enjoying the opportunity in America, he became a 7-time Mr. Universe, the biggest action star of the ‘80s and ‘90s and the 2-time Governor of California.Even though Schwarzenegger is known for being a larger-than-life movie star who never had a problem flaunting his ego, he’s also a generous man who’s always spoken about the importance of giving back. He attributes much of his success to being helped by others.“The whole concept of the self‑made man or woman is a myth,” he said in a commencement speech at the University of Houston in May 2017. “The reason why I want you to understand that is because as soon as you understand that you are here because of a lot of help, then you also understand that now is time to help others.” July 30th was Schwarzenegger's 77th birthday, so he shared some of the wisdom he’s accumulated over the years with members of “Arnold’s Pump Club,” a daily newsletter by him and his team about nutrition, fitness and wellness. Schwarzenegger calls the club the “positive corner of the internet."“No matter where you are in life, negativity and jealousy won’t help you get to a better place. I put together these 77 lessons from my 77 years to help you learn and dream a little more, and offer suggestions that will support you in living a better life,” Schwarzenegger wrote in the book’s intro. — (@) Here are 14 of the most inspiring pieces of advice Schwarzenegger shared in his 77 Lessons at 77 e-book. You can download the whole book here.1. Everything starts with visionYou have to see it before you can achieve it. You will never regret the time you spend to develop a very clear vision. When I say clear, I mean so clear that it plays in your mind like a movie. Before I stepped on a bodybuilding stage, I saw myself standing on the podium holding the trophy. It was like a memory — one that just hadn’t happened yet.5. Decide who — not what — you want to beMake your vision a part of your identity. Don’t say, “I want to be fit.” Say, “I want to be the type of person who can keep up with my kids and grandkids,” or “I want to be the person who everyone looks at on the beach.”9. None of us make it aloneI am not a self-made man, even though I came to America without any money. Claiming I made it on my own would mean disrespecting my parents, the mentors and early coaches, the trainingpartners and friends like Franco, and every single person who reached out and gave me a hand when I needed it. No matter who you are, someone helped you or laid the groundwork for you along the way. Once you accept that, you can see the tremendous responsibility that comes with it. You have a duty to help the next generation.12. Reps, reps, repsYou might think you only do reps in the gym, but repetitions are the key to life. Whether you want to improve at speaking in public or reading books or just eating better, you will need to do reps. Whatever you work at, it becomes easier and less uncomfortable with every rep you do.25. Your mind can be your greatest enemyIt can be your biggest naysayer. Learning to overcome yourself is much more important than learning to overcome anyone else. Your mind will seek comfort. It will ask why you don’t just stay in bed, under the covers, when you wake up before the sun to train or to work. It will tell you that you might fail, so why even try? You need to learn to shut it off.26. There are times for thinking, and there are times to be a machineI start every day like a machine. Everything is on automatic pilot. I wake up, I make coffee, I feed all of my animals, then I drink my coffee, get on my bike, and ride to the gym to train. I don’t turn my brain on until I’ve biked to breakfast after the gym.39. Sometimes, nothing f*ckin’ matters There are other times that my team makes fun of me because I am so relaxed. We will come to someone else’s event where I’m supposed to speak, and they’ll tell me they’re sorry, but we don’t know when I’ll be on stage. I say, “It doesn’t f*ckin matter.” Because it doesn’t. We don’t have control. Trying to control something we can’t will only make all of us stressed out, and that won’t help anybody.43. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of progress I know a lot of people who will start a workout plan that’s supposed to be every other day, and then as soon as something comes up and they miss a day, they give up. You’re never going to be perfect. None of us are. Just accept it. Progress is about moving forward. So you can only do two workout days this week instead of three? That’s still progress compared to zero workouts. Just keep moving forward.49. Sell, sell, sellNo matter what you do in life, you need to learn to sell. Whether you have a product or whether you are the product, we all have to sell something. Become comfortable with selling.58. Develop a sense of humorPeople love to laugh. They like being around funny people. You might think you’re either funny or you’re not. That’s not true. Like everything, you can get better with reps. When I wanted to get into Hollywood, I became friends with a very famous comedian, Milton Berle. I asked him to help me with comedy. Milton would write jokes for me, and then he would critique my timing. (He wasn’t very gentle about it, I remember a few, “Schwarzenegger, you Nazi, you fucked it up!”) The more I practiced, by getting in a joke in every TV appearance, the better I became.62. If you ever feel stuck, pick three small things you can focus on Make them so small it’s impossible for you to fail. If your goals are to learn a new language, get in shape, and read more, write all three things on a notecard, and write “5 minutes a day.” When you wake up, do 5 minutes of reading, 5 minutes of pushups and squats, and 5 minutes of language practice before you brush your teeth. Make a tally for each habit on the notecard, and keep it on your nightstand. No matter what, you get that tally every day. Even if you’re about to climb into bed and you realize you didn’t do all three things, you do it and then go to sleep.68. Find joy, not happinessI think one of the nicest things anybody ever said about me came from Jim Lorimer. He said, “If I needed one word to describe Arnold, it’s ‘joy.’ When he’s working, there is joy, when he’s with his friends, there is joy, when he’s with his family, there is joy. I’ve never seen someone have joy in everything they do.” Now, I believe joy is different than happiness. Joy is deeper. People chase happiness, but I think they should chase joy. Happiness is fleeting. You can feel joy when you’re struggling. You can feel joy when you’re grieving the loss of a dear friend. Joy, to me, is having a sense of purpose. It’s what gives meaning to life.70. The world isn’t as broken as your phone makes it seem Read your social media feed. Now imagine going to a gym, or a bar, or church, and hearingpeople talk like that. You’d say, “It’s enough already — stop fucking whining.” But that’s normal on social media! Get out there in the real world as often as you can. Talk to real people, not avatars. You will not find joy on social media.76. Leave the world better than you found itThat’s it. If every one of us tries to live up to that simple rule, imagine the world we’ll leave to our grandkids.

If you were to go back to 1993 and tell a teen or young adult that Snoop Dogg would one day be a beloved commentator for the Olympics, proudly carrying the Olympic torch, adored by young and old alike, they'd look at you like you'd lost your mind. And Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav hanging out with the women's Olympic water polo team, which he swooped in like a superhero to fund and hype? Say what now? — (@) How did these two go from gangsta rap and hardcore hip-hop bad boys, with arrest records for charges ranging from drug possession to murder, to a wholesome part of everyone's favorite international sports competition? Are we actually living in the upside down? Gen X in particular is reeling from the surreality of it all. It's delightful, don't get me wrong, but it's…weird. Older folks and youngsters may not fully understand who Snoop and Flav were in the 90s, and they definitely weren't immersed in youth culture of that time. But these guys were famously rebels of the highest degree and criminals by definition. The last word most people would use to describe them would be "wholesome," and yet here we are. Snoop Dogg is one of the official hosts of the Olympics and has been crushing it with his uniquely hilarious and endearing commentary. He even hopped into a pool to let Michael Phelps teach him to swim like an Olympian, for goodness sake. And not only has Flavor Flav been all in on water polo, but he's also met First Lady Jill Biden in the aquatic center with a joyful hug and played the piano for the U.S. Ambassador to France in Paris—and that's just so far. So many of us are incredulous at these developments:"Look I don't know how we got here but in the year 2024 the two most wholesome people on the television are Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav.""If you're younger than maybe thirty years old, it's probably impossible to fully explain to you how surreal it is to see Snoop be the star of the NBC Olympics opening ceremony broadcast." — (@) "Imagine going back to 1992 when 'Nothin’ but a ‘G Thang’' dropped and telling people that in 30 years Snoop would be the one celebrity Americans generally agree they like.""I would love to go back 20 years and see the reaction of people when I tell them that Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav have become warm and fuzzy mainstream personalities.""Has there ever been a bigger career 180 than Snoop Dogg going from the drive-by murder of a rival gang member in 1993 to being America's Fun Uncle, the guy you call when you need a co-host for Martha Stewart or a kid's choice award presenter?" — (@) "Snoop Dogg at the Olympics in Paris cheering on the American swimmers. Flavor Flav in Paris sponsoring the USA Women’s water polo team. I don’t know what the what is going but 18-year old me thinks this totally awesome."However people might feel about Snoop and Flav's unsavory pasts, they appear to have redeemed themselves in the public eye. There's something so loveable about them both, with their infectious enthusiasm for the Olympic Games, the way they seem to get along with everyone they encounter and the genuine joy the exude as they talk about the sports they enjoy and athletes they admire. It's all just so…wholesome. There's really no other word for it. We love it. And we're weirded out by it. What a time to be alive.

How many of us watch the Olympics and suddenly become inspired to attempt some of those amazing feats ourselves? Of course, we talk ourselves out of it. After all, leave it to the pros, right? But a part of us still thinks…wouldn’t it be fun to just try? One mom decided to abandon inhibition and follow those urges, setting up her own gymnastics stadium (i.e. a kid’s mat on the floor of her kitchen) to channel her inner Simone Biles. In a now-viral video posted to her Instagram, we see Breanne Allarie wearing a swimsuit as a leotard as she switch leaps, handstands and even attempts the Shushunova—which ends up looking like a glorious belly flop. In an interview with Today, Allarie revealed that she in fact does have a gymnastics background, and at one time wanted to compete in the Olympics. But life—and injuries—changed those plans a bit, though she did end up dancing professionally on cruise ships. So when she says “I feel like I could do a backflip” in the video, there’s merit! But with her husband’s protest, she played it safe. Still, people were totally impressed by the tricks she did manage to pull off, and charmed by her enthusiasm. See on Instagram “10’s across the board,” one person wrote, while another quipped, “The whispered ‘nailed it’ ? So good!”Many former athletes reached out to thank Allarie for essentially living out the dream that still remains in part of their hearts. As one person put it, “All of us former athletes out here pulling muscles and throwing tricks to prove we still got it — when in fact, we don’t fully still got it.”Allarie told Today, with her signature sense of humor, that she wants to show that world that “midsize moms can do it, too ... maybe ... sort of." Although she would also like everyone to know that Olympians “make it look so much easier than it is.”And perhaps the biggest takeaway of all was the amount of joy she felt, which was palpable. May it be your official permission slip to do something just for the fun of it, regardless of whether or not you’d win a gold medal. We know that trying new things, even if we won’t be the best at it, is important for our well being in multiple ways. And yet, it’s so easy to talk ourselves out of it and remain in the comfort zone of longing for more. So take a page from Allarie’s book. Do the thing. Have fun. And be sure to give yourself a pat on the back when it’s done.

by Mark Goodwin and Whitney Webb, Unlimited Hangout: This past Saturday, former president Donald Trump addressed the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, expounding upon the crypto and bitcoin policies likely to be implemented as part of a likely future Trump administration. Speaking in front of a banner emblazoned with the logo of Xapo bank, an institution […]

by Lucas Nolan, Breitbart: Tech giant Google has addressed concerns raised by prominent conservatives regarding its search autocomplete function, particularly its censorship of searches related to the recent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The masters of the universe claims they are “working on improvements” including the autocomplete function. TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/ Fortune reports that in […]

from Vigilant News Network: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/