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Hayley's Reviews > Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life
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The audiobook is a MUST, especially if you love Arnold’s accent. Arnold reads it himself, starting the book out by saying: “I’m recording in my little home studio. If you hear my little pig, Schnelly, going oink oink oink, just bare with me.” I LOL’ed, quite literally.
Arnold amazes me by all that he has accomplished in his lifetime. I first fell in love with what he represented when I went to The Arnold in Columbus, OH in 2019. That led me down a rabbit hole of learning more about his life and his humble beginnings.
I’m part of Arnold’s daily Pump Club newsletter, and I feel like this is an extrapolation of a lot of the tools he teaches us in his daily newsletter. I really enjoyed the opening chapters about setting a vision. He says without a clear vision, how do you know where you’re going? People often float in their lives then wonder how they got to where they are today.
I also loved this opening part in his chapter titled “Work Your Ass Off”:
This would be a 5 star if there wasn’t an element of delusion to the book. Arnold acknowledges that he’s been given advantages by his start in bodybuilding that led to his ability to get into movie making and politics, but he pushes “hard work” throughout the whole book, rarely showing much empathy for individuals with limitations. He himself says that he “has good genetics” and “never gets tired”. At one point, he talks about how we all have 24 hours in a day and we can all give time to our goals - no excuses. He says that people ask him about when is a good time for rest and relaxation, and he says “naps are for babies, relaxing is for the retired”. I love Arnold, but parts like this alienated me from his message.
Overall, it was a motivating read and I walked away with a deeper understanding of “Be Useful” and what that means. I still love Schwarzenegger and all he stands for - an inspiration & a great read when you need a kick in the pants.
Arnold amazes me by all that he has accomplished in his lifetime. I first fell in love with what he represented when I went to The Arnold in Columbus, OH in 2019. That led me down a rabbit hole of learning more about his life and his humble beginnings.
I’m part of Arnold’s daily Pump Club newsletter, and I feel like this is an extrapolation of a lot of the tools he teaches us in his daily newsletter. I really enjoyed the opening chapters about setting a vision. He says without a clear vision, how do you know where you’re going? People often float in their lives then wonder how they got to where they are today.
I also loved this opening part in his chapter titled “Work Your Ass Off”:
I bet you and I have a lot in common. We’re not the strongest, smartest, or richest people we know. We are not the fastest or the most connected. We’re not the best looking or the most talented. We don’t have the best genetics, but what we DO have is something a lot of other people don’t have — the willingness to work. If there’s one unavoidable truth in this world, it’s that there is no substitute for putting in the work.
This would be a 5 star if there wasn’t an element of delusion to the book. Arnold acknowledges that he’s been given advantages by his start in bodybuilding that led to his ability to get into movie making and politics, but he pushes “hard work” throughout the whole book, rarely showing much empathy for individuals with limitations. He himself says that he “has good genetics” and “never gets tired”. At one point, he talks about how we all have 24 hours in a day and we can all give time to our goals - no excuses. He says that people ask him about when is a good time for rest and relaxation, and he says “naps are for babies, relaxing is for the retired”. I love Arnold, but parts like this alienated me from his message.
Overall, it was a motivating read and I walked away with a deeper understanding of “Be Useful” and what that means. I still love Schwarzenegger and all he stands for - an inspiration & a great read when you need a kick in the pants.
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Xochitl
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rated it 5 stars
Nov 11, 2023 11:18AM
Now that you’ve mentioned his pig in the audiobook, I WILL listen to it!
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Great review! I felt exactly the same way. It's a great read / listen, it is motivating, and he injects some nice humour throughout. But overlooking the need for rest put me off a little. I'm absolutely behind putting in the work, and I'm tenacious in my own work and bodybuilding endeavours, but I also know when I need to spend an afternoon doing my potato impression on the sofa to avoid burnout!
I was debating reading versus listening. The pig possibility seals the decision for me! 😉
I loved his introduction!
It's a great audiobook. I noticed the 24 hour breakdown didn't include food preparation and eating so taking that into account it's even harder to get that magical 1 hour a day he talks about!I was playing this in the gym earlier today and felt like Arnie was telling me off for not lifting more weights! It's a really interesting book though and if it motivates you to do better then it's done it's job.
The thing about naps and babies is that until you get where you want to be, you do not have the luxury of time and breaks. It doesn't mean that if you have to rest, you shouldn't. It means that if you are working towards a goal, you can't luxuriate in other pursuits or allow yourself to be distracted, because that can prevent you from teaching your goal. It sounds very Boomer, but that's because of the language he chose, not the meaning.
*prevent you from REACHING your goal, not teaching.
I giggled at the end when he was thanking the team. Definitely worth a listen
