You have the potential to do great things
The only reason you haven’t been able to do them yet is because you lack the tools to achieve big things and be successful.
I was just like you—and to some extent, I still am. However, as a bodybuilding lover, I look up to certain individuals. Among them is the famous Arnold Schwarzenegger. And when his self-help book came out, I had to read it.
This book, called ‘Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life’, is a memoir that emphasizes on the importance of having a clear vision and purpose for life. It empowers its readers with the tools they need to work towards their vision and do big things.
Image Source: The Career Changers
This book teaches us how to be successful. And it does so regardless of what success may mean for you.
Today, I am sharing what I have learned from this book with you to help you achieve more in life and be successful.
What I have Learned from the Seven Tools for A Successful Life
Success is subjective. For Arnold Schwarzenegger, the definition of success seemed to evolve with each phase of life. In each of these phases, he had different goals. Reaching these goals brought different outcomes. And so, success looked different every time.
However, as subjective and individualized as success may be, the concepts he shares in his book (and I am about to give them to you) remain the same, no matter what your success may look like. I cannot share all tools to you but here are the few lessons that inspire me the most.
#1 Have a Clear Vision
In quiet moments of our life, we are often left with questions like “Why are we here?” and “What is our purpose/meaning in life?”.
Having a clear vision helps you answer these questions.
Your vision can be the answer to your “why” in life. It can help you have a purpose and define your path forward.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had a clear vision. He wanted to become a bodybuilder. And not just any bodybuilder. He wanted to be the best in the world. On top of that, he wanted to become a Hollywood star.
These goals helped him identify his vision. He knew what he had to do in life to get to his goals. Not only that, but having this vision also influenced his decision-making. So every decision he took, from shaping a solid training routine to learning English, helped him move closer to his goals.
If you are not sure about what you are going to do in life, it’s fine.
Take some time and think.
What is it that you want to do? It could be anything. From being rich enough to travel the world to retiring early to grow strawberries in your garden.
Once you know what you want to do in life, write down your goals. It would be easier to stick to your goals if they are on paper, tangible, rather than unseen in your mind. Next, build a routine based on all the actions that will help you get closer to your goals. One step at a time. A little bit each day.
#2 Ambitious Goals
There’s this famous saying that goes “Aim for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”.
Having ambitious goals is like dreaming to achieve the impossible. It can be daunting. But, if you overcome the fear of failure, you may be able to do big things in life.
Taking a page out of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life book, we can see how he set massive, ambitious, and seemingly impossible goals for himself. Not just once, but multiple times in life.
He aimed to be the world’s best bodybuilder. Despite coming from a modest background in Austria, far from LA, he wished to be a Hollywood star. And if that wasn’t enough, , he later announced he would run for the Governor of California even though he had no relevant experience.
If he had looked at his situation, all of his goals may have seemed too impossible to even be considered. But his willingness to at least set ambitious goals helped him achieve all of them.
You can do that too. But first, you will have to overcome your fear of aiming high.
Set ambitious goals. And stay laser-focused on achieving them, even if they seem impossible at first. You may have to step out of your comfort zone and risk being called delusional.
But that’s where most success stories begin.
And most importantly, don’t forget to take this next tool I have for you as you set towards achieving your ambitious goals.
#3 Take Failure as a Learning Opportunity
It is normal to feel a sense of fear when you set ambitious goals. But your success lies outside this circle of fear.
We know Arnold Schwarzenegger as a successful man today. But not all of his ventures were always successful.
Had he allowed those instances of failure to hold him back, he wouldn’t have acheived so many great things he went on to achieve later on.
Change the way you look at your failures. Think of them as successful attempts at doing something. Learn from each failure and move forward.
Always remember, that you only fail when you choose to give up.
Falling is fine. Staying on the ground once you have fallen and not even trying to get back up isn’t. So, every time you fail, get up and get going. See what you can do better and do it. You may be just a step away from your success.
#4 Insane Hardwork
Big things don’t come easy. They need hard work. Insane levels of hard work. And this is the same for everyone. Even Arnold Schwarzengger.
He looks like this big shot today. But success didn’t come so easily for him. Schwarzenegger was relentless in pursuing his goals. He spent five hours a day in the gym (though it may not be optimal by current evidence, you know the hard work you need to put in). Not just that, he took business and acting classes to make sure he could live his dream.
The key to his success was perhaps knowing talent alone isn’t enough. The realization that he needed to put in the hard work to get to his goals probably fuelled his success.
Every time you feel lazy, askyourself: Do you want to do that big thing? If the answer is yes, then get up and do whatever is needed to move closer to your goal.
Having a consistent routine based on relevant activities might help. Cut the distractions and focus your time on things that matter.
#5 Ignore the Naysayers
Some people enjoy putting you down. It’s their thing. That’s just what they do.
Naysayers are always present. The only way to deal with them is to ignore them.
When Schwarzenegger decided to run for the governor of California, people made fun of him.
And it is easy to see why.
How in the world can a bodybuilder and actor be a governor? But did Schwarzenegger let these naysayers get to his head? No. He ignored them. And not just that. He went on to prove them wrong by staying focused on his goals.
You will have to do the same.
As soon as people learn about your ambitious goals, some of them will drop by simply to tell you why this is a bad idea and give you all the reasons you will fail. You have to shut this negativity out and continue moving forward with a laser-sharp focus.
Don’t let self-doubt creep in. Be confident. Have faith in yourself. And stay focused.
#6 Give Back
Altruism, a selfless concern for others, is hardwired in our brains. Helping others can sometimes bring unmatched pleasure and satisfaction. And therefore, if you want to continue working hard, you must start giving back to the society.
Besides being a bodybuilder, an actor, and a governor, Schwarzenegger is an avid philanthropist. He has been a long-time supporter of Special Olympics, an organization that helps tackle the isolation, stigma, and inactivity around people with intellectual disabilities face.
He is also the founder of After-School All-Stars, an organization that offers free, comprehensive after-school programs for underprivileged kids to succeed at school and in life.
If you want to be happy and successful in life, you need to start helping people.
See what you are good at and offer that to the people in need. Good at Math? Help give free tuition to some kids. Have free time? Volunteer for social welfare work.
You can also search for organizations that work on a cause you are passionate about. It could be anything like climate change, ending poverty etc. And work with them to have a positive impact.
#7 Stay Useful
Throughout his life, Arnold Schwarzengger worked towards using his talents to do something productive, meaningful, and useful. He inspired millions of people through fitness and worked on reshaping local policies during his time as a governor.
Aim to be useful, not just for yourself, but for the greater good of those around you.
Identify your strengths. See what you are good at. And then work at getting better at that while also volunteering this skill to serve the society.
Living a Useful Life
You want to do big things and be successful. But success needs to be built. It has to be earned.
You can start with defining what success means to you. This will help you have a clear vision for your life. Once you have a vision, set goals. Big, ambitious, and specific goals.
Create an action plan on how you will get to those goals. Then work hard, insanely hard, while ignoring the naysayers.
And finally, stay accountable. Track your progress and don’t let failure deter you from pursuing your goal. Remember, failure is a part of the process. Take it in your stride. Learn from it and keep moving forward.
Give back to society to be happy and focus on being useful for yourself and everyone around you.