But is this dream attainable? Yes, it certainly is. After all, almost all the big-name celebrities we see today start off as just ordinary people. Certainly all the top-name bodybuilders and fitness competitors were once just another somebody in a gym. It’s not often you find a person on the cover of a magazine the day after they were born. So, how do you get there? Now that’s a good question, and it is certainly not as easy to answer as some think. Most often people think that if they win a contest, a world of people with money in hand will come beating down their door. This is the same as the "building a better mousetrap" issue that businesses face every day. It just doesn’t work like that. Having a great physique is certainly important, at least in this profession, but it is only part of the equation. Winning a contest may help, or then again, it may not. In fact, it’s often hard to remember the winner’s name after they’ve grabbed their trophy and walked off the stage. On the other hand, there are plenty that have done well and not won a thing! The cold, hard, ugly truth is that the best-built or best-looking or best-performing competitors don’t always make it to the top – or anywhere close. Instead, it’s often the person who understands what it takes to promote their image who climbs the highest. Many times it has little to do with actually winning contests. A model example It’s been argued to the ends of the earth whether Arnold Schwarzenneger is really the best bodybuilder of all time. I think that question is irrelevant. For what it’s worth, at least in my opinion, he’s not. Don’t get me wrong, Arnold was great, but I think there are others who were or are better -- at least in terms of physiques. But what is important is that as far as most people’s perceptions of him are concerned he is the best. As a result, he’s left a life-long legacy of accomplishment behind him and he’s famous inside and outside the sport. Many thousands of bodybuilders have followed in his footsteps, but neither Hollywood, the magazines, nor the public has paid even a fraction of the attention to them as they have Arnold. Why? Because no one has ever promoted themselves or the sport like Arnold has -- not before, and not after. If you think he was just lucky or that he was just discovered and everything else simply fell into place, think again. Arnold isn’t only one of the world’s greatest bodybuilders; he’s one of the world’s greatest promoters -- of himself! Tip #1: Don’t wait for someone else to help you For every bodybuilder or fitness competitor who is miraculously "discovered" and transported to fame, thousands sit on the sidelines until their shelf life expires. I’ve seen people win national, international, and even professional titles, and everyone hardly blinks an eye. On the other hand, I’ve seen promotion-savvy people without a title under their name get worldwide recognition! How did the latter group do it? Most often they did it themselves. You may think sponsorship is the answer, but think again. Supplement companies are overwhelmed with competitors wanting to be sponsored. Magazines have thousands of people fighting to be featured in their pages. And the entertainment industry certainly has no shortage of talent constantly beating down their door. The competition is excruciatingly high, making the chances of being discovered far below slim. What’s more, why should someone come and make you famous? Don’t they have better things to do like making their own living and ensuring food gets on their own table? That’s why it’s foolhardy to wait for someone to do all the work for you -- it just won’t happen. If you want people to know who you are, you have to take the initiative yourself. Is it easy? No. In fact, it could become downright discouraging. Are you guaranteed success? Hardly. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start because you have a better chance of succeeding than if you wait for someone to transport you to fame. How do you start? Good question, and once you answer it, you’ll at least be on the road to making it happen. (Actually, next time we’ll include some tips to help you get going.) Tip #2: Make yourself unique You can have all the motivation in the world to promote yourself, but you have to have something to promote -- and like I said before, usually having the best physique or the best looks isn’t enough. Don’t think that you have to be the most beautiful or the most handsome to succeed. That’s hardly the case. Let’s talk about Arnold again. When Arnold went to Hollywood, they told him he was not good looking enough, his body wasn’t right, he had a bad name, and, perhaps worst of all, he had a strange voice. The powers that be felt he was all wrong. The fact is they were wrong. Arnold did not fit into their preconceived notion of what a star is and that became his biggest strength. Yes, those unique attributes are what helped make him a movie star. In business school this is known as a Unique Selling Proposition -- something you have that others don’t that can be leveraged in the marketplace. In other words, if you’re just another face in the crowd, you will get lost. If you have something unique about you, then you can make your mark in the world. If you look at the most successful people in the physique community that have the greatest public interest, they all have something unique about them that can be exploited. There’s Larry Scott. He was the first Mr. Olympia and the guy with the great arms. Sergio Olivia is not known for being the second Mr. Olympia (nobody ever gets famous for being second in anything), instead, he is known for his awe-inspiring, never-seen-before size. Frank Zane was way too small, but he had a Greek God-like physique that, to this date, has never really been duplicated. And Dorian Yates had that freaky size and hardness. The others all had something too -- and that’s the key; they had something, something unique that set them apart. Look at Fitness stars like Monica Brandt -- probably the best known of the Fitness Olympia champs and still very well liked. Is she just another good-looking, in-shape competitor? No. She has a style and an image that makes her unique and identifiable -- she stands out in the crowd. Do the others stand out the same way? Some do and some don’t. Just think about how many competitors you’ve long since forgotten and how many you remember. Of the very few you remember, it’s likely because they had some unique aspect about them. Finding something unique about you is actually pretty easy. Everyone can create something unique -- and you don’t necessarily have to change the way you look to do it. It can be in your attitude, your presentation, or even in terms of your beliefs and what you stand for. Is diet and exercise guru Richard Simmons known for being in fantastic shape? Hardly. He’s known as the odd little guy with the strange voice who used to be fat. Now he’s famous and people who are in better shape and who are better looking than him aren’t. Think about it. Wrap-up I’ve touched on two things that are perhaps common sense to many people, but they are things that are rarely put into practice. The first is that if you’re keen on promoting yourself, then you’re better off starting with the attitude that you are best off doing a whole lot of work for yourself. Nobody but a guardian angel is going to come down and swoop you to stardom. And the next thing is to think about yourself and what it is you can promote. Find something unique about yourself that’s appealing. Remember, we’re living in a world with millions of other people and you’re just one in a crowd. Make yourself stand out. As I mentioned, next time we’ll discuss some tips to help you get going. Doug Schneider If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail das@bodybuildinglive.com.
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