MBA2395 Must Read: Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger

0:09Heyo! Welcome to the$100 MBA show because a better business begins with you. That's why we deliver practical business lessons. I'm your host, your coach, your teacher, Omar Zinhome. I'm also the co-founder of Webinar Ninja, an independent software company I started back in 2014. And today's episode is a must-read episode. On our must-read episodes, I share with you a book that I've read that has influenced me as an entrepreneur. I share with you its takeaways, its insights, and why you should read it too. Today's must-read is Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, if you're thinking, Arnold Schwarzenegger?

0:42An author? Yes. I actually love his books. He's a man that his whole life story is about. Don't underestimate him. An immigrant from Austria somehow builds an incredible bodybuilding career winning seven Mr. Olympias. And then he reinvents himself and becomes a movie star, a leading man. Again, everybody doubted him. How is somebody with a thick accent like his going to become a leading man and one of the highest paid movie stars? People can't even pronounce his name in the 80s and 90s. He proves the naysayers wrong and becomes a huge movie star. And again, he reinvents himself and runs for governor of California, the eighth largest economy in the world.

1:28And not only wins, but he wins reelection as well. So a lot of experience, a lot of wisdom. And in this book, he shares his seven rules for a fulfilling life, for a life where you feel useful, where you feel content and happy. There's so much great stuff in this book. There's so many business lessons that I'm going to extract for you and share with you in this episode. This is one of the top books I've read this year, probably in my top five, well-written, well-delivered. Let's get into it. Let's get down to business. A little fun fact about Arnold Schwarzenegger that not a lot of people know is that he became a millionaire well before he became a Hollywood star.

2:06In fact, he ran a business, a bricklaying business, and started earning money through that business. He was a very successful entrepreneur. He also was into real estate, bought an apartment building, and made passive income through that. So he actually was very comfortable financially before he became a Hollywood actor, which is an amazing situation because he didn't have to settle for chump roles. He didn't have to settle for roles that he didn't want. In the book, he shares that he had a vision to become a leading man. The reason why he got into bodybuilding is because he admired Steve Reeves and the movie Hercules.

2:46And you saw this as like a ticket to be able to have a new life, become a bodybuilder, then become an actor. So when he wanted to go into acting, he didn't want to take roles that didn't make sense. He wanted to go straight for the top and become the star of the movie. And he could be picky because he wasn't desperate. He wasn't a starving artist. He actually was doing very well financially. So he's in a good position. I wanted to start with that just to pull back the curtain and show what kind of person, what kind of business mind Arnold was. Now, let's talk about this book, Be Useful. Now, it's called Be Useful because it's a piece of advice his father gave him very young, and he never forgot it.

3:27And he has really repeated this to himself over and over and over. And he believes it's probably the best advice somebody can give somebody because it keeps you away from depression. It keeps you away from sadness. It allows you to have gratitude and fulfillment and meaning in your life. When you're focused on being useful to others, it's not about you. It's not about the accolades. It's not about the external validation. It's about being useful. So how do you be useful? Well, he shares seven rules in life that have really helped him be able to accomplish the things he accomplished throughout his career.

4:04Let me start with the first rule or first law. And that is have a vision. I'm really happy that he started with this rule because it's one of the big reasons why he was so successful. And I'm really happy they actually explained what this actually means. A lot of people have a hard time understanding what does this mean, have a vision? Do you mean have a dream? Do you mean have a plan? What does that mean? And he explains that having a vision doesn't have to be specific. It doesn't have to have this specific thing with all the little details. He gives an example that Steven Spielberg, when he was a kid, his vision wasn't, I want to create science fiction movies, big budget movies, movies that are going to, you know, break records in the box office.

4:48No, he just had a very simple vision. It was broad. I want to be able to make movies for a living. That was his vision. And the details come later. The vision doesn't have to be specific. And in fact, when it's broad and simple, it's easy to keep in mind. It's easy to follow that vision. So, for example, when he got into bodybuilding, at the time, his vision was to be the most successful bodybuilder of all time, which was his vision. And he fulfilled it. Then his next vision was he wants to become a leading man. He wants to become a movie star. Now, what kind of movie star? He wasn't really sure, but that was his vision.

5:26Now, why is it important to have a vision? because your vision is your guiding light. It's your rule of thumb. And it makes it easier for you to make decisions in life and in business because if it's not aligned with your vision, you don't do it. So he gives this example in the story where he was going after becoming a leading man and then he got offered a different business opportunity, a very lucrative opportunity where he can make some money in the personal fitness world. And he had to say no to it, even though it was a great deal because it's not aligned with his vision of becoming a leading man.

6:00So having a vision allows you to stay on track and allows you to stay focused. The second rule is all about gratitude and making a real effort to be grateful. Take the time to appreciate the good things around you in life, both the big and the small. Consider keeping a gratitude journal and reflecting on your blessings and express your gratitude to others when you see them. He believes that this makes your life a whole lot better, a whole lot more enjoyable, a lot easier to get up in the morning, a lot easier for you to keep going because you're reminded of all the great things you already have.

6:36You feel like a winner already. It reminds me of a little quote from Naval who said that desire is a deal we make with ourselves to be miserable until we get what we want. So instead of that, we want to be grateful and be happy regardless of how bumpy the journey is. We don't punish ourselves until we get what we want because what happens when we get what we want? We just choose something else we want later on. We just move on to the next thing. So gratitude is a big part of his happiness formula. Number three is not a surprise and it's work hard. He is a big believer of just work hard. If you work hard consistently, you will succeed at whatever you are driven to do.

7:18Your vision will be fulfilled if you work hard. And this is what he says. He says, yes, there's other circumstances around you, but working hard gives you a huge advantage because most people don't work hard consistently. Most people don't feel like doing it. And if you're outworking other people and putting your effort, your heart, your time, your energy, your attention to something, you will naturally rise to the top. He says, there's no shortcuts here. Hard work is the cornerstone of achieving your goals, but it requires consistency and a plan, meaning you need to set your realistic objectives, stepping stones, milestones, have a solid schedule and implement.

7:59And he says, there's no shame in asking for help. He says, there's no such thing as a self-made man or woman. We all need help. And he says, I was built by so many people who helped me along the way. So ask for help. Number four, be persistent. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows. We know this. You're going to have setbacks. You're going to have challenges. You're going to have problems. What matters more is that you never give up, that you keep moving forward. You keep working at it. That's why he says it's important to celebrate your wins along the way. Don't belittle your wins, no matter how small the win is, because you need to cheer yourself on.

8:35and no one else is going to do it for you. You got to motivate yourself. Don't worry about making mistakes. If you make a mistake, you'll learn from it. You don't do it again and you keep moving forward. Number five, be kind. Kindness makes our whole world better. We know this. We know this in our heart. But what does it mean to be kind? Being kind means being respectful, not only to others, but to yourself and not putting yourself down, not talking nonsense to yourself in your head. He says, the most successful people are not only kind, but they're great listeners. They close their mouth and they listen and they learn from others.

9:12He shares an incredible story about when he had heart surgery. And unfortunately, the doctor made a mistake during surgery, which costs him to be in hospital for longer than expected. It was quite dangerous, but mistakes happen. And he shares that a lot of people ask him, why didn't you sue this doctor for malpractice? And Arnold says, what will that do? What will that actually do to help me? It's not going to make me get better or heal faster. It's not going to make me feel better. It's not going to help the doctor. There's nothing wrong with people making mistakes. I know. He's like, I know that there is a chance somebody will make a mistake when they're operating on me.

9:48I know what I'm getting into. So be forgiving. There's a funny thing about forgiveness. Somehow it's never forgotten. It's never just lost in the ether. We got two more laws or rules to share with you from this book, Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Number six, be humble. Stay open. Have an open mind. Take on feedback and never stop learning. Learning is growth. Learning is actually fulfillment and happiness. And by being humble, you realize, wow, I don't know it all. I need to learn. I need to get better. And the funny thing about getting older and getting more experience in life and in business is the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know, how much you still need to grow.

10:33So stay humble, stay hungry, keep learning. Now, number seven is all about giving back. He says, if you want to find meaning in life, if you want fulfillment in life, then it comes from helping others. He says, get involved in a cause that you're passionate about, whether it's volunteering, donating, mentoring, or simply being a good friend or neighbor. By giving back, by being a valuable member of society, this will make you feel better. It's actually sort of a selfish thing where when you give back, you get the benefit. You feel good. You feel like your life has meaning. You feel like you actually matter and count.

11:07And isn't that all we want in life? To feel significant? To feel like our time on earth meant something? And I want to just relate this to business because giving back is really being in service of your customers. It's really about understanding that if I serve my customers, if I give them everything they need, if I surpass their expectations, I can't go wrong. It will come back to me somehow. They will tell others. They will do word of mouth marketing. I will feel good about what I do. I will feel proud of what I do. And even if it's hard work, I feel like I'm actually doing the right thing. I feel like I'm actually helping others.

11:40Maybe they won't thank me every day. Maybe I won't have a round of applause every time I wake up in the morning. But the point is, is that I know deep down that I'm doing good in the world and I'm doing good for others. If you know that and you're doing that every day, it's hard for you to hate your job. It's hard for you to not be excited to get to work because you know that what you do matters. It has meaning. To wrap up, this book, Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger is a great, great book of advice. It's a great book to just realign yourself in the world, realign your expectations when it comes to growth, and fulfillment in life and in business.

12:15These seven principles that Arnold Schwarzenegger shares in the book really emphasizes the importance of being of service to others. I can't recommend this book enough. It's a breath of fresh air. And if you like audio books, Arnold does his own narration. So you'll absolutely love the narration. You could pick it up on Audible. I know Spotify now is doing audio books if you have premium. So it's pretty, pretty amazing as an audio book. He shows a lot of character and a lot of humor too throughout the book. That wraps up today's must-read episode. This book really left an impression on me. I really loved it.

12:50It was an enjoyable read. It's just, you know, I think, you know, success leaves clues, as Tony Robbins says. And this man, love him or hate him, you know, he's not perfect. He talks about this book. He's made mistakes. He's fallible, but he's accomplished a lot. He's really had success in a lot of different areas in the world, in a lot of different areas. in life, in business, in career. And he's learned a lot of lessons and he's generous enough to share it with us. So pick it up. You won't regret it. Be useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger. That wraps up today's lesson. If you love this podcast, hit subscribe, hit follow on your favorite podcast app right now.

13:29Make sure you're following the podcast because by doing that, you get our next episodes automatically. You get access to all our episodes in the archives, over 2 ,300 episodes in our back catalog, all for you to consume. Also, by hitting follow or subscribe, you make sure you tell the algorithm, hey, this show's all right. It's the best way to give back to the show so that we can continue to give you amazing lessons on the regular. Thank you in advance for doing that. Before I go, I want to leave you with this. When somebody writes a book that has had any kind of success in life and they share with you their biggest insights, their biggest takeaways, their learnings, they share their stories, they share their anecdotes.

14:09This is gold. You're learning so much, especially in a book that's going to cost you less than$20. The value is off the charts. So jump on the opportunity whenever this happens, like in Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll check you in Wednesday's episode. I'll see you then. Take care.

14:41Thank you.