Regardless of your personal politics or opinion of his acting career, Schwarzenegger is undeniably a global cultural icon who has positively influenced millions of people all over the world.
I have personally always respected his attitude of using his naysayers as motivational fuel, as well as refusing to fall into the trap of victimhood after his personal failures. I also strongly connected with his title of “Be Useful,” pre-ordering the book when he announced it earlier this year through his newsletter.
I love Arnold’s idea of promoting his personal credo of how to be best useful, but I was concerned about his packaging the message into the predictable also-ran “7 easy steps” self-help model.
Survivorship bias runs rampant through these types of books as the authors are always well-known, incredibly “successful” types who have followed their passion, climbed the mountain, achieved their dreams, blah blah blah... That may initially excite the reader and sell books, but it is rarely actually, you know, helpful.
How could I ever doubt the Austrian Oak?! This book is nothing like that and is incredibly no-nonsense, straight to the point, with timeless advice and direction.
Most authors will stroke their ego and have other authors from the same genre “blurb” their book on the back cover. No time for that here, take a look -
That back cover gives you a good idea of what you’ll find inside -
Seven Tools For Life
Have a Clear Vision
Never Think Small
Work Your Ass Off
Sell, Sell, Sell
Shift Gears
Shut Your Mouth, Open Your Mind
Break Your Mirrors
Chapters 1 - 4 speak for themselves. In plain English, Arnold covers each topic with personal examples and doesn’t pull any punches.
With a quick pace and at only 263 pages, the book has a body fat percentage worthy of Arnold’s peak Mr. Olympia days!
Ultimately, he could care less where you’re from, what you look like, or what your goals are - He demands that the reader work their ass off, not even think about complaining, and absolutely NEVER behave as a victim! I love that.
For me, chapters 5 - 7 are the best part of this book. The reader will learn how for Arnold that…“Growing up in Austria, all forms of motivation involved negative reinforcement.”
This had a massive influence on his ability to bounce back from failures and thrive on the fuel provided by the many naysayers throughout his life. He writes in a tone that is similar to what you will find in the work of David Goggins, who suffered immensely through his traumatic early years as a young man.
Schwarzenegger and Goggins both acknowledge that those tough early experiences have ultimately shaped the men they have become today.
Chapter 6 (Shut Your Mouth, Open Your Mind) is my favorite chapter. Arnold makes a very strong argument for staying curious and keeping a student’s mind all throughout life. He endorses young people exploring in order to find their purpose as “the world can be your classroom.”
He posits that too many young people are “blinded by status” and rushed into the 4-year university system before they even have a chance to create a vision for their future.
“We aren’t allowing the world to show them what is possible for their lives. Instead, right at the point where they have the least to lose and the most to gain from spending time in the world, we’re plucking them out of it and sticking them in four-year universities, which are the exact opposite of the real world.”
For additional context, Arnold believes that there can be tremendous value to certain individuals and society overall in learning a trade through vocational schools and certification programs. I agree!
Arnold closes out his list with the importance of giving back and paying it forward. This could be financially or with your time, either way, every little bit counts for the greater good.
He speaks about his work developing the Inner City Games and After-School All-Stars programs, which help children across the country stay off the streets, and how helping kids with his philanthropic role in the Special Olympics and President’s Council has given him the greatest source of personal contentment. He calls it the “Helper’s High.”
“Life is not a zero-sum game. It’s one that can have multiple winners. An unending amount of winners, really…as long as you make giving back part of the rules of the game. Want to help yourself? Help others.”
Thank you for reading!
Resources -
Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life (Schwarzenegger, 2023)