![]() The triumph of this book is that it’s quite rare in the self-help canon – or what publishers now term personal development – to not make a cynic such as myself roll their eyes, and this one doesn’t. Arnie just sets about counting how many laps he can do to the bathroom while stuck in hospital. I sort of love pain in the service of growth – which is why I’m happy to swim in 4C open water – but most of us would be a bit pissed off if, say, a lackadaisical surgeon butchered our aorta during what was supposed to be a routine procedure. He loves pain, because “pain is the measure of growth potential”. ![]() People will have their views on that, although he’s transparent that one person’s version of fulfilment (pushing through groundbreaking environmental legislation) might differ from another’s (wholesome family a good job that pays the bills). There’s always a concern with books such as these: will they acknowledge the discriminatory nature of social hierarchical structures and institutions, economic circumstances, health issues and various other impediments to fulfilling potential? Schwarzenegger nods towards them, but more so takes the line that if he, a kid who grew up in a house with no running water, can make it, then anyone can. He hates the phrase “self-made” because, while he recognises it’s meant as a compliment, he believes the opposite – namely, it takes a village (specifically, in his case, Thal in Austria, and then a man called Fredi Gerstl). Sometimes literally, as when donating $1m to Covid relief efforts or in time and mentorship, when teaching kids with learning disabilities to bench-press. Whether it’s being taught how to bricklay to make ends meet, or being schooled on the history of gerrymandering as a rookie politician, Schwarzenegger wants your help. His approach is the opposite of Goveism Schwarzenegger can’t get enough of experts. He’s also extremely smart (it still bums him out that bodybuilders are dismissed as airheads) and obsessed with knowledge. He chops off the bottom half of every pair of his joggers so he can work on his calves more easily. When he talks about “putting the work in” during drama training, he jokes that he wants his money back for the accent-removal classes. Photograph: Ian Cook/Getty ImagesĪnd there’s plenty of humour to offset the more Sandhursty bits. View image in fullscreen Schwarzenegger working out in a gym in Santa Monica, California, 1977. There are the usual Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama citations. He talks about surrounding yourself with supportive people. Lots of advice is similar to that found in 1980s and 90s classics of the genre that either attempted to compensate for the booming rat-race class or else leaned into it. He recommends incremental changes at first, which is what most primary care doctors might suggest. ![]() His idea to beget ideas is walking, which, as he points out, is not an original one (he must have thought of it while standing still) he’s just seconding Nietzsche and Aristotle. Much of it is uncomfortably gendered, with polar extremities of dangerous and twee.īut Schwarzenegger, far from the cyborg killing machine of his catchphrase film role, is an amiable instructor. But there’s the toxic masculinity of an Andrew Tate (and, to a lesser extent, Peterson) or the woo-woo of the wellness crew. Not financially – the industry is booming to the point where life coaches will charge money for others to take their life-coaching courses in what is, as far as I can tell, a Ponzi scheme for dream-journaling. Self-help can be a dubious scene to be a part of. Part Jordan Peterson’s bro life-hack manual slash pop philosophy (the book’s subtitle, Seven Tools for Life, is very similar to Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life) part Instagram motivational quotes slash Arianna Huffington’s obsession with “thriving”, it is threaded through with relevant memoir. Because people – “naysayers” – have underestimated him his whole life and he doesn’t want you to doubt yourself for a second. Who knew? The book’s tone is sometimes dogmatic but often reflects the genuine kindness and enthusiasm of its authorĪrnie knew. Zeitgeist-capturing animal lover rhetorician for the ages. Then came a different register: his stirring, home-filmed speech after January 6 in which he compared the storming of the Capitol to Kristallnacht and pleaded for the protection of US democracy. The animals were “demonstrating” social distancing guidance, while their owner radiated warmth in a terrifying time. ![]() I remember, in April 2020, watching Schwarzenegger on Twitter with his pet donkey Lulu and miniature horse Whiskey.
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