Review: Be Useful, Seven Tools for Life, by Arnold Schwarzenegger
by
Stuart Holland
Since I started listening to audbiobooks, I’ve listened to quite a few memoires from famous folks that I was just interested to know more about. Arnie definitely qualifies as one of those people. But that means that I went into this expecting a memoire, and it’s actually a self help book. Not generally the kind of book I want to read, but I’d give Arnie a shot. Narrated by the man himself, the book benefits a lot from his narration. It wouldn’t have the same character or authenticity in its recommendations without his distinctive voice to go along with it.
And really I can see how this book could help people. It’s got some legitimately good advice in it. If I were to summarize what the advice is trying to help you do, it’s a set of strategies for achieving big things. What the absolute size of “big” is will vary from person to person. Schwarzenegger has clearly achieved some big goals, between bodybuilding champion, action movie star, and California governor. And he uses stories from his own life to drive home the point of his advice and how to really turn thoughts into plans and plans into actions.
The actual story of Schwarzenegger’s life that we get along the way is an interesting one. I knew about the big headline achievements going in, so these details filled in a lot of color of how and why he did what he did. I’ll also admit that I fell into the trap that he said many people did with him: assuming he was more brawns than brains. Genuinely, the way he thinks about his plans and makes his dreams a reality and brings people along on the journey, it’s all from an extremely level-headed, curious, and driven person. The driven part was obvious from the outside, but the others not as much. It does explain why he succeeded in such disparate spheres of the world.
At its core, this book lays out a very positive and encouraging way to interact with the world. To achieve what you set out to by uplifting others and making the most of the help offered to you.
Overall I’m very impressed. I already liked Arnie before I read this, but I definitely have an even greater appreciation for him now.
