Arnie has been there since the beginning. I still recall watching him as a kid on terrestrial TV as Conan The Destroyer, released in 1984. No one looked like Arnie did.
Later, came Terminator (1984), Commando (1985), The Running Man (1987) and Twins (1988). He was and still is a legend. No one I can think of has accomplished what he has.
I fell out of love with Arnie many years later. You see, I’ve read Redemption by Stanley “Tookie” Williams published in 2006, he was the founder of the LA Crips, if you know.
Tookie’s autobiography (later dramatised by Jamie Foxx’s cinematic performance in 2006) is a story of a nihilistic youth who is sent to prison in 1981 to face the “ultimate” penalty for a very serious crime. Although he maintained his innocence, he accepted the choices he made that lead him to incarceration.
What made Tookie special was that he was also a body building fanatic who had once met Arnie on the circuit. During his incarceration and his personal journey of redemption,Tookie turned his back on the life he once lived and campaigned for the Crips & Bloods to make peace, resulting in hundreds or more to put their disagreements behind them.
There was a huge campaign to grant Tookie clemency from the “ultimate” penalty and this landed on Arnie’s desk as Governor of California. Clemency was denied and Tookie was given the lethal injection on 13/12/2005. I was disappointed.
Now we are here in 2024, and Arnie releases Be Useful - Seven Tools for Life which I’ve just downloaded on Audible. It’s very good and it got me thinking about the road of Leadership.
Here are a couple known ideas that may encourage you along your journey:
- Heavy is the head that wears the crown 👑
- You cannot please everybody 🤷🏾♂️
- If you are not making mistakes, you probably aren’t trying hard enough ❌
- The purpose of life is not to be happy (or liked). It is to be useful. 🫡
I’m only on Chapter 1, “Have A Clear Vision”. Once I complete the audiobook…..I’ll Be Back (to share more).