Essential
Summary
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life never ceases to inspire with Arnold sharing fascinating stories about this life and it’s hard to believe one man can achieve so much. There are several behind the scenes tales from the making of some of his biggest movies which give a nice insight into how the movie business works. If you’re a fan of Arnie then you should definitely pick this up as it’s a must read.
Plot: The seven rules to follow to realize your true purpose in life—distilled by Arnold Schwarzenegger from his own journey of ceaseless reinvention and extraordinary achievement, and available for absolutely anyone.
The world’s greatest bodybuilder. The world’s highest-paid movie star. The leader of the world’s sixth-largest economy. That these are the same person sounds like the setup to a joke, but this is no joke. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this did not happen by accident.
Arnold’s stratospheric success happened as part of a process. As the result of clear vision, big thinking, hard work, direct communication, resilient problem-solving, open-minded curiosity, and a commitment to giving back. All of it guided by the one lesson Arnold’s father hammered into him above all: be useful. As Arnold conquered every realm he entered, he kept his father’s adage close to his heart.
Written with his uniquely earnest, blunt, powerful voice, Be Useful takes readers on an inspirational tour through Arnold’s tool kit for a meaningful life. He shows us how to put those tools to work, in service of whatever fulfilling future we can dream up for ourselves. He brings his insights to vivid life with compelling personal stories, life-changing successes and life-threatening failures alike—some of them famous; some told here for the first time ever.
Too many of us struggle to disconnect from our self-pity and connect to our purpose. At an early age, Arnold forged the mental tools to build the ladder out of the poverty and narrow-mindedness of his rural Austrian hometown, tools he used to add rung after rung from there. Now he shares that wisdom with all of us. As he puts it, no one is going to come rescue you—you only have yourself. The good news, it turns out, is that you are all you need.
Review: I rarely read a book that makes me sit up and want to do more with my life, but Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life is one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read. At the beginning Arnie mentions that he has made mistakes in his life, but as he has gotten older, he shares some great wisdom in not only how to improve your life but the lives of others.
He goes over his time as Governor and some of the challenges he faced, while also discussing some behind-the-scenes stories of a few of his movies. He talks about trying to get Twins financed as well as some great stories regarding the making of The Terminator.
He was initially going to be Kyle Reese, but as time went on, he realized The Terminator was the main character. Arnold was reluctant to play a villain as he wanted to be seen as an action hero and even his agents said it was a bad idea, but he ended up having the last laugh.
It’s refreshing to read something so positive with Arnold discussing all the many hurdles he had to jump over in his life, but still managed to come out on top. His ego is still apparent throughout, but that’s what makes him Arnie with his larger than life personality. By the time I was finished reading I was ready to take on the world.
Overall, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life is essential reading that really lifted me up during some down times and has inspired me to try and do my very best in life while also trying to help others. This is an easy read and normally I take months to get through any book, but I actually got through this in a few days and plan to regularly return to it over the coming years.