"Recounting these moments in later years, Arnold spoke of his self-talk as a strategy, a way to maintain motivation despite the seemingly endless stream of success. While his framing wasn't technically wrong, since he was engaging in a technique labeled "defensive pessimism" where expectations are kept low to self-motivate, it overlooked a key fact: Much of this is automatic, habitual, and unconscious."
"Arnold was obsessed with greatness, knowing how thin the air was up there. And he sacrificed much of his personal life, and emotional well-being, to attain and sustain it. However, many perfectionists are only semi-obsessed with it, stuck in limbo while bouncing back and forth between what they seem to want and what they believe they should. Limbo is, arguably, the worst state to find oneself in."
Arnold Schwarzenegger used harsh, negative self-talk as a deliberate motivational strategy, a form of defensive pessimism that kept expectations low to spur effort. Much negative self-talk, however, operates automatically and can be mistaken for a necessary tactic rather than a harmful habit. Perfectionism can demand sacrifice of personal life and emotional health, and many people become trapped in limbo, oscillating between desire and obligation. That limbo corrodes satisfaction and amplifies pain. A sustainable, good life requires choosing clear values and committing to them rather than endlessly chasing perfection through self-criticism.
Read at Psychology Today
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