Stronger than Arnold

Growing up in the 90’s, I loved watching action films. I used to play with my friends and pretend we had huge muscles, powerful weapons and steely determination. We wanted to grow up and become like Rambo, a hero who could face any difficulty and overcome it with strength.

In addition to becoming a “macho man”, I was also drawn to the idea of being part of a kick-butt team. I wanted to have a group of friends with specialized skills (think the A-Team) that had tremendous grit and determination. I vividly remember watching the tag-teams in Pro Wrestling and practicing some moves with some of my smaller friends. Given that we were more like Jack Black and his sidekick in Nacho Libre, I can't explain how anyone didn't get hurt back then.

Later on, I watched Pumping Iron, the iconic documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger. He worked out at God’s Gym in Venice Beach. I added this destination to my bucket list and just knew that when I grew up, I’d be getting a gym membership to become big and strong like The Terminator.

Years later, I happened to be walking around Muscle Beach in L.A. and meet some body builders who looked like Arnold. From up close, these dudes were massive and I envied their size and strength. They were like real live “superheroes” and I found myself blown away by how inspiring these guys were in real life than in my imagination.

Fast forward to today: while I haven’t grow massive muscles, I have gained the discipline to show up every day and put forth my best effort in the gym. I’ve learned about consistency and perseverance, which I have become ingrained traits. Over time, I’ve come to realize how hard it actually is to become stronger, putting in the heavy weight lifting day in and day out. And I’ve learned to take care of my mind as well. As they say in Latin, “Mens sana in corpore sano,” which means, “A sound mind in a sound body.”

Then I met Angela. I thought I'd met strong people until she came into my life. She built a tech company in the midst of a global recession, in which the tech industry with experiencing widespread layoffs and bankruptcies. In addition, she was in cancer treatment, battling for her life. She took one day at a time, pushing through the pain of it all. She did this with consistency and optimism, always looking at the opportunities presented with every challenge, as every great business owner learns over time.

She taught me what real strength looks like. It has nothing to do with muscles. It has everything to do with your heart. She does not look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but she has the inner strength of a heroic person. She is truly a superhero in real life.

She is the strongest Arnold I've ever seen.