37 pages • 1 hour read
Arnold SchwarzeneggerBe Useful: Seven Tools for Life
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Having a Clear Vision
As early as the Introduction, Arnold Schwarzenegger posits that a lack of vision is the root cause of most people’s unhappiness and aimlessness. This idea of vision is the first tool the author presents, and it is a guiding principle in the rest of the book. His tools for life involve developing that vision, executing it, communicating it to others, and ultimately using it for the betterment of one’s environment. As Be Useful demonstrates, having a specific goal or vision in mind is key to leading a purposeful life.
Schwarzenegger describes vision as “purpose and meaning” and “a picture of what you want your life to look like and a plan for how to get there” (4). His personal narrative is a testament to the power of a clear vision, as it was Schwarzenegger’s initial desire to make a life for himself in America that led him to bodybuilding and set in motion every other “act” of his life. Through these experiences and anecdotes about successful friends, he encourages readers to recall their own childhood interests for inspiration on how to craft their visions, just as he and other public figures went on to build their lives around their early passions. He emphasizes the importance of inspiration and self-exploration when clarifying a vision, which involves creating space and time for oneself to allow ideas and inspiration to flow in. One of the actionable steps he suggests for creating this space is taking a walk, a simple practice that various well-known figures have incorporated into their routines for centuries.
Be Useful highlights not only the importance of having a vision and setting goals but also ensuring that the vision is as clear and specific as possible. Developing a vision necessarily involves a measure of personal responsibility, as a vision is a clear guidepost for what success is and is not. Schwarzenegger puts the responsibility on the reader to consistently and objectively assess their progress to ensure they are making adequate progress toward fulfilling their goals. He uses the German adage, “wenn schon, denn schon (“Anything worth doing is worth doing well”), as a call to strive for excellence and thoroughness in all areas of life, especially in the pursuit of a dream. Be Useful challenges the reader to put no limits to what they can achieve, to dream as big as possible, and to do everything in their power to work toward that lofty dream with full commitment.
The concept of vision is also inextricably linked with the idea of giving back in Be Useful. Schwarzenegger’s goal in presenting his tools and helping others clarify their visions is to encourage his readers to be of service to others, to “pay it forward” so that the people who come after them are elevated and inspired to reach even greater heights.
Resilience in the Face of Failure and Adversity
Adversity can take on many forms: self-imposed doubts and limitations, difficult upbringings, external circumstances, or criticism from others. Be Useful provides tools and lessons for confronting these challenges with a blend of focus, dedication, and positive thinking. By alluding to his own struggles over the course of his personal and professional life—from his early bodybuilding losses to his hardships as governor and the end of his marriage—Arnold Schwarzenegger uses his vulnerability to both foster a connection with his audience and demonstrate how he managed to persist in the face of these challenges. He makes it clear in Be Useful, using blunt, straightforward language, that the ability to persist through challenges, tedious work, repeated failure, and criticism is what separates those who accomplish their goals and accomplish great feats from those who do not.
Despite his blunt approach, he is neither abrasive nor indifferent to the unique struggles that people may face in their lives. Schwarzenegger acknowledges that people do not have a choice in their upbringings or their external circumstances—only in how they respond to these circumstances and what choices they make going forward. He especially emphasizes the power of positive thinking in reframing challenging situations. Schwarzenegger leans into personal anecdotes and memoir elements to lend credibility to his point. In this book and elsewhere, he describes his hardships growing up as a child in post-war Austria, but rather than discuss his past in a negative light, he consistently emphasizes the lessons and wisdom his parents imparted to him, the strength his challenging upbringing gave him, and how this strength helped to propel him to success. Resilience, then, in Schwarzenegger’s definition is relentless positivity and radical acceptance in the face of negativity and adversity. He views all his hardships and challenges through this lens, and Be Useful is an attempt to pass this mindset on to the reader.
Be Useful does not shy away from discussing the hard and often tedious work required to accomplish a worthy goal—on the contrary, Schwarzenegger is particularly emphatic regarding the importance of “working your ass off” (76), one of a few moments in the text where he swears to emphasize his point. A large part of remaining resilient in the pursuit of a vision involves persisting through thankless or boring work to build the fundamental skills necessary to perform well in any area of life. Schwarzenegger calls on the reader to avoid quitting in the face of boredom or pain and to embrace the process of struggling toward a goal, which makes the resulting success more satisfying and rewarding. Even failure should be accepted if not welcomed as part of the process, as it can serve as a marker of growth and provide valuable lessons.
Committing to Others and Giving Back
Baked into the book’s overall message about discipline, hard work, and self-improvement is the idea that one’s personal aspirations should ultimately be in service to a larger “we-focused” mission that helps others. The current culture is replete with self-help and self-improvement advice in the form of books and social media content, but as Schwarzenegger points out, hyper-focusing on self-improvement can foster an overly self-focused mindset. Be Useful challenges the reader: “[B]reak your mirrors and do for others what you are able to do” (257). When everyone makes giving back a part of their motivation to improve their lives, self-improvement becomes a game everyone can win.
As the book’s title suggests, the point of encouraging the reader to work toward improving themselves is so that they can give back and help to improve the lives of others. Be Useful thus reaches beyond personal development for its own sake, though Schwarzenegger acknowledges the individual benefits of developing a vision and acting on it. However, personal ambition can serve a higher purpose and can be used to help others. Schwarzenegger notes that, just as his father did not agree with his definition of what it means to “be useful,” everyone is likely to have a different idea of what “usefulness” means and how their unique abilities can be used in the service of others. However, he believes that everyone has a responsibility to “be useful as often as [they] can” (257). In particular, he views this as a patriotic duty, underlining his sense of duty and responsibility to give back to America, the country that he says made his success possible. His tenure as governor of California is one way Schwarzenegger explores contributing to the community, but he points to individual actions as well like his philanthropic work and support for the Special Olympics.
Alongside personal anecdotes, Schwarzenegger cites scientific studies that show how giving back not only improves the world but makes the giver significantly happier and more fulfilled than personal ambition could alone. References to the “helper’s high,” oxytocin, endorphins, and vasopressin lend an air of objectivity to his hypothesis about helping others. In the book’s final chapter, he outlines several ways the reader can give back to their community, regardless of who they are, what abilities they have, or how much time or money they have to spare. He emphasizes that even small acts of helpfulness can resonate and bring great personal satisfaction.
Finally, Schwarzenegger examines the idea of a “self-made man” and discourages the use of this term, as claiming to be “self-made” discounts the relationships that make people who they are. He leads by example, citing the contributions of his many mentors, guides, collaborators, and friends, underscoring the importance of humility and showing gratitude to others. He concludes that giving back is simultaneously a way of paying forward the debt of gratitude that one owes to those who helped them achieve success, contributing to a future in which everyone enjoys success.
