When it comes to motivation, few embody the spirit of reinvention like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The man has continually redefined himself, transforming from a small-town boy in Austria into a world-class bodybuilder, the iconic Mr. Olympia, a blockbuster movie star, the Governor of California, philanthropist, and successful businessman. His life is a masterclass in adaptability and perseverance. In his book “Be Useful”, Arnold shares seven guiding principles: have a clear vision, think big, work relentlessly, sell, sell, sell, shift gears, shut your mouth and open your mind, and break your mirrors. These principles give us a glimpse into his philosophy of hard work and self-transformation.
I found myself drawn not only to his book but also to the Netflix documentary “Arnold” about his life, which Jason put on despite my plans to do something else. Watching it was a reminder of the power of the American dream: that if you work hard enough, stay determined, and never give up, anything is possible.
Like many, I admire Arnold for his legendary accomplishments and his complexity as a person. He epitomizes what we think of as "main character energy," but what stands out most to me is his unrelenting curiosity and his belief that no one is truly "self-made." Through his charitable work, he acknowledges that his success has been shaped by countless people and opportunities along the way. His message is clear: success is earned, but it’s also a product of the environment and people around us.
Still, as straightforward as his book is, I can't shake the feeling that writing it wasn’t as difficult for Arnold as it might be for others. He’s lived such an extraordinary life, and as he admits in the book, there’s much more to his story than what he’s shared. I suspect that, for someone like him, distilling life lessons into a few key principles probably comes naturally.
Earlier this month, I was reminded of the complexity of purpose and the power of curiosity in an unexpected way. For over a decade, I’ve served as an alumni interviewer for Georgetown University, and this year, I had the privilege of interviewing a high school senior from Gainesville who might be one of the most interesting and curious minds I’ve encountered to date. What began as a typical admissions interview turned into a fascinating conversation about coding, the internet, and a unique project called the Geniza Project.
This young man—an avid coder—told me how he had become something of a "Spiderman" of the internet, reporting bugs to organizations in his free time. Most of the time, his reports went nowhere, often getting a quick "thanks" or no response at all. But one day, his persistence paid off, and one of his reports led to an internship with Princeton’s Geniza Project. By his eighteenth birthday, which he recently celebrated, he had been offered a paid position.
He told me about the Cairo Geniza, a vast collection of medieval manuscripts that has provided invaluable insights into the lives of Jews, Muslims, and Christians during a time of relative peace in the medieval world. Through these ancient texts, researchers have uncovered the hidden lives of people, not through grand speeches or public proclamations, but through private letters, mundane transactions, and everyday interactions. The teenager was fascinated by how these forgotten voices still shape our understanding of history, and he wants to study these stories further at Georgetown’s campus in Qatar.
What’s the connection between Arnold and this young coder? It’s not about comparing a famous bodybuilder and movie star to a nerdy teen —it’s about how both are driven by an insatiable curiosity and a commitment to discovering purpose in unexpected places. The more I reflect on it, the more I’m convinced that purpose isn’t a fixed destination—it can be an active or passive pursuit, constantly evolving.
The older I get, the more I recognize that there’s so much beyond our control and so much beneath the surface of others that we often overlook. This is not to suggest there’s some grand conspiracy behind every action, but rather to echo Arnold’s call for curiosity in our search for purpose. We must remain open, question what we see, and be willing to look deeper—because life’s richest insights often lie beneath the surface.
