Summary of Be Useful By Arnold Schwarzenegger: Seven Tools for Life

By Willie M. Joseph

DISCLAIMER

 

This book does not in any capacity mean to replace the original book but to serve as a vast summary of the original book.

Summary of Be Useful By Arnold Schwarzenegger: Seven Tools for Life

IN THIS SUMMARIZED BOOK, YOU WILL GET:

• Chapter astute outline of the main contents.
• Fast & simple understanding of the content analysis.
• Exceptionally summarized content that you may skip in the original book

Be Useful is a book by Arnold Schwarzenegger, a renowned bodybuilder, movie star, and economic leader. It shares his journey of reinvention and extraordinary achievement, focusing on seven rules to realize one's true purpose in life.

 

The book is based on his father's teachings of being useful, which he incorporated into his life. It provides an inspirational tour of Arnold's toolkit for a meaningful life, highlighting his personal stories and life-changing successes and failures. Schwarzenegger emphasizes that no one can rescue you, and you are all you need.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Willie M. Joseph
• Release date: Oct 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223293989

Willie M. Joseph

Willie M. Joseph summaries get straight to the point and provide essential tools to help you be an informed reader in a busy world, whether you’re browsing for new discoveries, managing your to-read list for work or school, or simply deepening your knowledge. Available for nonfiction titles, these are the book summaries that are worth your time.  

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

After leaving the governor's office in 2011, the world around him came crashing down. After winning a landslide reelection in 2006, passing environmental policies, and making the largest infrastructure investment in California history, his final two and a half years in the Capitol were filled with beatings from every direction. In 2008, the crash hit, causing a recession and a $20 billion shortfall. Governors often get credit when the economy is on the rise, but they don't have control over a global financial disaster.

Despite passing groundbreaking policies, such as reducing the veto power of political parties and embracing renewable energy, they still felt like failures when faced with voter, parent, or worker questions. This experience was not the only one, as the governor also blew up his family.

By the end of that year, the governor found himself at the bottom of the political landscape, facing the decision to clean up and start the slow climb out or give up. His movie projects went up in smoke, and the media wrote him off. However, the governor didn't give up and enjoyed the challenge of climbing back up. The struggle that makes success sweet is what makes it so sweet.

The author's fourth act combines his bodybuilding, fitness, policy work, and entertainment career. He continues his fitness routine with a daily fitness email and Arnold Sports Festivals, and works at After-School All-Stars, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, and the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative. His entertainment career includes a television series. As a result of his failures and redemption, he became a self-help figure, giving motivational speeches and sharing his wisdom on social media. His success led to the spread of positivity, with people from all backgrounds expressing gratitude for his help.

The author analyzed the situation and found that there was a lot of negativity and pessimism in the world, despite the fact that there has never been a better time in human civilization. This data is objectively true, highlighting the importance of addressing the issues of war, disease, poverty, and oppression.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an epidemic of feelings of inadequacy, depression, and anxiety across various societal segments. Depression and anxiety have increased by 25% worldwide since 2020, with the prevalence of depression among US adults tripled between 2018 and spring 2020. This is a significant shift from 75% of American adults reporting no symptoms of depression to under 50% by April 2020.

The problem goes beyond COVID-19, as institutions and industries exploit people's misery for profit and political gain. These forces are incentivized to keep people miserable and helpless, and to obscure the tools of usefulness and self-sufficiency that are the primary weapons in the fight against unhappiness and apathy. Millions of people worldwide seek answers through podcasts, Substacks, and newsletters, seeking someone they can trust and ruthlessly positive when others are relentlessly negative.

The author shares his own tool kit of advice and encouragement, which he developed over the course of sixty years and followed successfully on his journey through the previous three acts of his life. These tools include knowing where you want to go, how to get there, having the willingness to do the work, communicating to those you care about that the journey is worth the effort, shifting gears when a roadblock hits, keeping an open mind, learning from surroundings, and giving back accordingly.

Being useful is the best piece of advice my father ever gave