I just finished reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new book, Be Useful. Below are his seven tools for usefulness.
Have a Clear Vision
This is very related to Cal Newport’s idea of Lifestyle-Centric Career Planning. It’s important to have a vision of what you want the future to look like, so that you can take the necessary steps in the short-term to meet those medium- and long-term goals.
Never Think Small
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tool. When you think about your vision for the future, think big! You of course want to be realistic, but setting a big goal allows you to see that in your future. Maybe you can hit it. At the very least, the steps you take in working towards that goal will benefit you.
Work Hard
Not the actual name of the tool :)
This one to me is a no-brainer. Hard work will make up for lack of skill, slow start, all kinds of different circumstances.
Sell, Sell, Sell
I have had the hardest time with this one. I used to think that the cream would just magically rise to the top. But you have to get the word out. Especially in research, there are a lot of papers published every day. Even more pre-prints posted to somewhere like arXiv. How will you get eyeballs onto your work? “It’s good work” isn’t good enough.
Shift Gears
He’s talking about shifting gears from negative to positive thinking.
Shut Your Mouth, Open Your Mind
Absolutely.
Break Your Mirrors
Look less at yourself and more at others. Develop an instinct towards helping others, being selfless, and being a humble servant.