Arnold SchwarzeneggerBesprekingen
Auteur van Total recall het verhaal van mijn leven
Besprekingen
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story door Arnold Schwarzenegger
Die Fragen am Ende sind für mich eher: Kaufe ich ihm die Erzählung ab, so wie er sie darstellt? Und finde ich die Ratschläge sinnvoll und nachvollziehbar? Kann ich etwas damit anfangen? Darum geht es meiner Ansicht nach in solchen "Selbsthilfe-Büchern" primär. Meine Antwort ist: Ja. Der grundlegende Ratschlag "Be Useful" ist an sich bereits hilfreich. Schwarzenegger fächert dieses Thema im Verlauf des Buches aber weiter auf. Immer angelehnt an Geschichten und Anekdoten aus seinem eigenen Leben. Das macht das Lesen für mich interessant und lehrreich, weil hier, im Gegensatz zu vielen 20jährigen Bloggern, die dann mit einem Buch ihre Blogs vermarkten wollen, jemand erzählt, der tatsächlich Lebenserfahrung gesammelt hat.
Für Fans von Schwarzenegger ein Muß, für alle auf der Suche nach einem unterhaltsamen Selbsthilfe-Buch mit Mehrwert durchaus zu empfehlen.
I thought Arnold's choice to not capitalize on the breakdown of his family unit was a classy choice. I love that he thanked Maria for being an amazing mother and for their time together.
1. Have a clear vision
2. Never think small
3. Work your ass off
4. Sell, sell, sell
5. Shift gears
6. Shut your mouth, open your mind
7. Break your mirrors
Solidly written, his message is straight forward and clear. Do your best, be clear with what you want to achieve, show appreciation and gratitude always, sell yourself and give back to the community. Well done.
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger is a self-help by the famous actor, bodybuilder, and businessman. Mr. Schwarzenegger needs no introduction, if you’re thinking about reading this book you already know who he is.
I’ve been a fan of the author since I was a teenager, even before he started making movies. He is the reason I started, and continue to this day, with resistance exercises. I appreciate everything Arnold currently stands for, and that he uses his fame and money to make the world a bit better – something I believe most of us can get behind.
Ever the one to reinvent himself, Mr. Schwarzenegger is now creating a “positive corner of the Internet” using his new app, The Pump. I am a founding member of the app, and it does make a mental difference in my workouts and day to have such positive feedback.
Also, Arnold interacts with the users!
Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a biography like his previous book Total Recall. He gives the readers advice of what he learned during his lifetime, many are common sense and can be implemented with a bit of effort. As he has been doing for a long time, Arnold acknowledges the help he had along the way, at every step of his career.
Along with advice from the greatest American success story of our lifetime, we get biographical tidbits. Whether it’s from his career as a bodybuilder, movie star, or politician Arnold doesn’t hold back a lot. He’s not afraid to tell us of his failures, and what he learned, along with his success.
The book is short, but rich in content and advice. It is motivating and he certainly lets me understand what “be useful” actually means besides a cheesy slogan.
I Picked Up This Book Because: Curiosity.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: H Public Library
Dates Read: 11/9/23 - 11/10/23
Stars: 3.5
Narrator(s): Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Story:
Highly motivational but also highly self-congratulatory. The self-congratulations are deserved as he has accomplished a lot in his life, but it just hit a weird note for me. Overall, I think he has some good advice for someone who has found their passion.
The Random Thoughts:
Superficial lessons for everyone else, but still thought provoking for all that.
Some favorite lines: "wenn schon, denn schon"- if you're going to do something, do it, go all out
Work works
Don't do the bare minimum and think this is all set, I took care of it. No. Don't be a lazy fu*k. Do the work. Completely! Follow through
Busyness is Bullsh*t, we all have things to do, make time to work for it.
Rule " no complaining about a situation unless you're prepared to do something to make it better.
Nemcsak a testépítés elitjének, de minden olyan sportember számára, aki valamilyen formában súlyzós edzést végez, ez a könyv valóságos biblia - nélkülözhetetlen, ugyanakkor elengedhetetlen. Ezt a könyvet természetesen csak Arnold Schwarzenegger írhatta meg, akit méltán neveznek a testépítés nagykövetének.
A kötetben Arnold számos edzési, táplálkozási, versenyzési, sportpszichológiai és sportorvosi irányvonallal ismerteti meg az olvasót. A remekül megírt, tartalmas szöveget számos illusztráció egészíti ki; a könyv lapjairól korunk nagy body building sztárjai köszönnek ránk.
Ízelítőül felsoroljuk a legfontosabb területeket, melyekkel a kötet behatóan foglalkozik:
- Arnold kipróbált és jól bevált izomfejlesztési módszerei, melyek segítségével kellő eltökéltség mellett mindenki kihozhatja magából a maximumot.
- Az erőtréning leghathatósabb technikái, melyek segítségével minden olvasó személyre szabottan állíthatja össze a saját edzésprogramját, függetlenül attól, hogy az illető versenyre készülő profi testépítő vagy egyszerű kocasportoló.
- Átfogó táplálkozási információk, melyeket követve ideális izomfejlesztés, illetve zsírleadás érhető el, az optimális energiaszint megtartása mellett.
- Szaktanácsok a sportsérülések elkerüléséhez, illetve a meglévő sérülések kezeléséhez.
- Versenyzési és pózolási tanácsok a sportot professzionális szinten űzők számára.
- A testépítés története a hőskortól napjainkig, a halhatatlan testépítők arcképcsarnokával kiegészítve.
- Végül, természetesen, Arnold inspiráló visszaemlékezései és élményei.
A hétszeres Mr. Olimpia címmel büszkélkedő testépítő fenomén és nemzetközi sztár nem kisebb feladatra vállalkozott, mint hogy enciklopédia nagyságú kötetbe sűrítse a testépítést érintő valamennyi terület legújabb kutatási eredményeit. Ahogy azt Arnoldtól megszokhattuk, amit vállalt, maradéktalanul teljesítette.
Arnold Schwarzenegger több testépítő trófeát nyert, mint bárki más a világon, köztük hét Mr. Olimpia és öt Mr. Univerzum címet. Páratlan filmes karrierjének köszönhetően mára az egyik legnépszerűbb világsztárnak vallhatja magát. (Bookline)
Now, Arnold can hardly be described only with the words "sports personality", but that is definitely where he starts, but even when his movie career takes off, it's never really about parties and alcohol and sex, it's almost constantly about money and getting famous. He's weirdly obsessed with money, and how important it is to make your own and never have to ask other people for it. This is of course why he's a republican, because he loes that whole American Dream ideal (and also doesn't like Unions). Apart from that it sounds like he's way more democrat than he's willing to admit.
I read this book in three days and that meant each day dealt more or less with one of his three careers: as a body builder, as a movie star, and as the Governator. All of them were interesting in their different ways, even though the political part got a bit tedious. I just don't care that much about Californian politics, being from Sweden. BUt it was fun to see what Arnold did all those years when he wasn't making movies.
Obviously Arnold wants to prove that he's way smarter than people give him credit for (alwas a problem with these action stars: it doesn't matter how many times you point out that Sly Stallone wrote the script for Rocky or that Dolph Lundgren has a degree in chemical engineering, ppl don't want to see them as anything but dumb muscles), but he almost over-corrects and comes off as rather smug at some points. It's always "I knew this would work" or "I knew this was stupid but I never said anything", making it sound like luck had nothing do with how his life turned out. Then again, he does admit when he has been wrong: like how he wanted the line to be "I will be back" rather than "I'll be back", and says it's proof James Cameron knew exactly what he was doing with that movie. Still, there's some smugness there that can't be ignored, even if he has good reasons for it.
All in all I liked the book, but I'm not sure I agree with Arnold's entire philosophy, especially not the idea that you have to work 12 hours per day and get by on 6 hours of sleep. I would personally rather have it the other way around, but maybe that's just me ....
First, was his ability to network with people, to use his charisma to enchant the people around and receive help when needed. For example, he arrived in US with nothing, a complete unknown, but he quickly built up many valuable connections, like with entrepreneur Joe Weider and later with the Kennedy family.
Another important aspect was his business mind, the obsession in being the lead guy and winner in everything. And of course, mixed with that was a touch of hubris and avarice. Not to mention his work-ethic, which turned him into a real-life Terminator. He never ever stops till he gets to his goal.
This could bee seen here:
“You see, Arnold,” Joe Weider said in his Canadian accent, “you want to work, you want to build yourself, you are German, you are a machine, you are unbelievable. You are not like these lazy bastards!”
Or here:
"I told my friends that my worst nightmare would be to feel somebody shaking me and hear my mother’s voice say, “Arnold, you overslept! You have to get up! You’re going to be two hours late for work. Hurry! You have to get to the factory!” And I’d be saying, “Noooo! Why did you wake me up? I was having the most incredible dream. I want to see how it turns out."
I was listening to the audiobook and the first thing you’ll notice is that it is HUGE! 1400 minutes long!! Seriously!! Especially when a “regular” audiobook is around 600-800 minutes. I think that should set the tone for how BIG Arnold likes to think. It’s well written and does well to describe Arnold’s life, struggles and successes. Although, I found some sections a bit too descriptive and they might bore you if you’re not into it. Like for example, I found the politics part of the book a bit boring, since I’m not from America and don’t care much about being a governor, debating with the legislature or running ballots.
For those interested, this book is essentially divided into 5 sections:
- Childhood
- Developing a body for Competing
- Getting Americanized
- Movie life
- Governorship
Interspersed through these subjects, you’ll also find a couple of other themes playing out. Learning the ropes in America, Real estate, building connections, Falling in love with Maria.
Here’s what I absolutely loved about the audiobook:-
1. The first and last chapters are actually read by Arnold himself – that was really refreshing because his tonality and masculinity come through in his way of talking. And it’s way more interesting than Stephen Lang’s voice. All these make for an interesting listen
2. Arnold is really, really clumsy and funny! I mean like seriously – when in army school he drove his tank through a wall because he forgot to remove out the handbrake. Or the time that he went drag racing in his tank and some other members from his unit were hanging on for dear life! Or when he first met Younis Kennedy (his future MIL), he remarked to her that her daughter has a great ass! He even mentioned that pumping up the muscles was better than sex! This guy was absolutely outrageous and I loved it!! It really appealed to me – it’s very similar to the craziness that Steve Jobs had in him.
3. Utmost, Utmost, Utmost, Utmost belief in himself (Yes, there’s a reason that I typed in that word 4 times). There is this part in the audiobook which happens around 130 minutes, where Arnold talks about his first Mr. Universe and how he only signed up for the competition so that he could see where he stood amongst the rest. He assumed he’d end up in 6th or 7th place, but instead placed 2nd, behind Chet Yorton. The surprising part was what Arnold thought about it afterwards. Rather than be happy that he placed higher than he’d thought he would, be felt he undersold himself by only believing he would land up 6th. As he says, “What if I had gone to that competition with the intention of winning? What if I told myself that I was going to win? If you tuned into my thoughts before any competition, you’d probably hear, ‘Just move out of the fucking way and give me that trophy already’”.
Another story regarding his belief system was when he wanted to get into movies and he went to different agents and they all told him that his body was too monstrous or that nobody would understand his accent or that his name was unpronounceable. They said they’d help him to set up a local gym instead. But Arnold would have none of that. He believed that he could make it as an actor. So, he went to night school, acting school, speech school, accent school, started a construction business while training 5hrs a day! The key point is that he believed that he could make it. He didn’t think of giving up on his dreams because the experts (the agents) told him it was impossible. HE BELIEVED in himself. Or like the time he was offered $200,000 to manage a gym, the audiobook mentions that he turned it down because that would take him away from his goal of getting into movies and he would just become a manager, even though the money was unbelievable ($200,000 in the 1970’s would have been phenomenal).
Another key story was when he was working as a trainer in a gym in Munich and most of the enrollments were police officers, construction workers or travelling wrestlers. The wrestlers saw his size and offered to help him train as a wrestler. But Arnold didn’t want that life – even though he had a body for it, and bodybuilding was an obscure sport with no money involved, he BELIEVED that he could make it to America and that being a wrestler would have just made him ‘common’. A wrestler would have been right up his alley, but not up his dreams.
4. Risk – As I listened to the book, I started comparing myself to Arnold and realized that I don’t even come close to the amount of risk that he took. Like the story above, where he didn’t want to become a wrestler. He chose the riskier path of “trying” his hand at bodybuilding.
I was amazed with the story of how once in America, he purchased an apartment complex worth $200,000, when most other immigrants were happy simply renting out an apartment. He had $27,000 of his own which he managed to save, and borrowed $10,000 from Joe Weider. His friend Arty was shocked when he heard that Arnold purchased a complex rather than just settle on a single apartment! “But Arnold, you have to go collect the rent from each of the tenants, and what if there is some accident and you get sued, you know how things are here in America. What about plumbing and heat and if there are some issues with the complex, then you will have to keep running about trying to fix it. Why do you want to take those chances, I NEVER WANT that- it’s way too much of a hassle.” When I heard this story, I remember thinking I would have done was Arty suggested because that was the sane thing and made more logical sense. I wouldn’t even bother asking someone else to loan me $10000 – what if the apartment deal didn’t work out and I ended up owing the $10,000 – how long would that have taken me to pay back? But Arnold went in naïve and took the plunge. As you go through the book, there are a multitude of stories that show the amount of risk Arnold took.
5. Luck – Now as much as I would like to believe that Arnold got everything he wanted in life due to his sheer hard work, perseverance, persistence and determination; the truth is that as you read his autobiography or listen to the audiobook, you'll realize that he had much luck to go along with it. Now, I’d like to believe that the luck was an outcome of him having worked hard, though others might think otherwise. But there was MANY INSTANCES where luck played a huge role in Arnold’s future.
For instance, if you look at how Arnold came to America in the first place, was because after having won Mr. Universe for the 2nd time, he came back to his hotel and discovered that Joe Weider (the biggest promoter of bodybuilding magazines and supplements) had randomly sent him a telegram inviting him to come to America for a competition. Or what about the incident when post losing that competition (he came in 2nd to Frank Zayne, although Arnold lambasted himself later on saying that Joe Weider put so much faith in me and my abilities and I let him down), when he was wondering how he’d get airfare to go back home because he only came to America with one small gym bag, Joe Weider told him, “I want you to stay back in America for a year and you'll be much better for the competition next year. I’ll pay you a stipend and cover your staying expenses.” Aren’t these two examples a sign of pure luck?
The incident of how Arnold first got into movies also struck me as being lucky! He randomly managed to meet photographer / writers George Butler and Charles Gaines while in the city. They collaborated with Arnold on films such as Stay Hungry / Pumping Iron and introduced him to other directors too. The audiobook also talks about how he didn’t want to do small time roles in movies, even though he wasn’t a big name. Most others of his level didn’t mind doing small parts in movies - whereas Arnold waited for a bigger role to come along. And then surprise, surprise, one director came along searching for someone exactly of his build – that’s how Arnold got his breakthrough role of Conan the Barbarian. Arnold didn’t go apply or search for the script, the script came to him. I think that’s a classic example of dumb luck working in his favour.
6. Personality – This one is HUGE. It never struck me until one day while listening, I started to keep track of the number of times Arnold’s personality is mentioned. When Arnold decided to give up professional competition so that he would focus on working as an actor, George Butler finally managed to get funding for Pumping Iron and wanted to cast him. But Arnold flatly refused saying that he was done being a bodybuilder and had shifted his vision toward acting and being less muscular and leaner, to which Butler replied, “if you don’t act, the movie won’t go ahead. You are the only one who has the personality for the role.”
Or the incident where small time bodybuilders would get small parts in TV as bouncers or muscle men, Arnold would refuse since he didn’t want to do these small roles and those hiring would say, “But you have the biggest body and the personality compared to everyone...”
Once when competing against Sergio Olivia, after defeating him, Arnold played mind games by remarking that He’d lost because he looked too thin. As a result, Sergio piled on 10lbs for the next competition… and as Arnold said, “No one can pile on 10lbs of pure muscle in 2 weeks. That’s why I won the next competition as well.”
There are numerous other incidents where his personality, fun loving nature came to the forefront.
7. Have some sort of an idea of what he wanted to do – I’ve always wondered why it was that Arnold was so successful in bodybuilding. There were others who trained as hard as him, and by the 4th competition onwards, they should have already understood his training regime, tactics, posing forms, methods and so on. So why was it that Arnold still had the edge? I honestly believe it was that he had some sort of a clue who he wanted to become or where he wanted to go. This is something he normally always talks about in his YouTube videos too. He saw a magazine in Gratz and knew he wanted to become like Reg Park. He saw a Hercules movie and knew he wanted to become an actor, he saw that poster of Ronald Regan and knew he wanted to become Republican.
Well, there you have it, an extra long review of the entire book. Hope you liked it! If you’re still on the fence on whether to get this one or not, please do – it’s a real motivator booster to show how one person can achieve so much.
I’ll end with this – Arnold, you’re a real inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing your story.
The American Dream embodied, and he knows it. Likes talking about money.
The narrative is engaging throughout, though I admit to not being so absorbed by the later chapters that focus on politics. Arnold’s childhood and rise to fame are what most interested me.
Highly recommended.
The book gives a lot of insights into his life and it brought out why he was able to accomplish as much as he did. The book tells how a poor Austrian became an entrepreneur, a professional bodybuilder and eventually a film star and a politician.
For me, the most interesting part was about the Hollywood industry. How it worked at his peak and how he dealt with different stakeholders. By the way, now I get why Conan the Barbarian is the only chapter, from the whole franchise, worth to watch (my honest opinion). On the other hand, I found the second half of the book a bit less appealing. It tells more about Arnold’s life as an American politician and my reflection on that part is that, predominantly, he tries to justify his actions. There is nothing wrong with that, but, much more, I would enjoy some interesting deep dives into the American political industry.
One thing that was also interesting was the way he ends the book which was his ten rules to live. My favourite was “don't let pride get in the way”, “don't... (if you like to read my full review please visit my blog: https://leadersarereaders.blog/total-recall-my-unbelievably-true-life-story/)
Links
Wikipedia (English)
Wikipedia (German)
Twitter (English)
wikidata (English)
DNB Schwarzenegger, Arnold (German)
Notable Names Db (English)
WorlCat Author Listing (English)
VIAF Schwarzenegger, Arnold 1947-... (English)
LT character (English)
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