Hasta la vista, baby

Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a life full of adventure. The Terminator known for one liners “I’ll be back” and “Hasta la vista, baby” rose to fame first in professional bodybuilding, then went onto movie stardom and the business world, and then to politics. He’s earned millions in his action hero movies and achieved a lot, but I was wowed recently by something he couldn’t do.  

When he announced the upcoming release of his new book Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life, the 75-year-old wrote on social media that he’s a terrible reader. “Here’s my secret: I’m a terrible reader. They didn’t talk about learning disabilities in Austria in the 1950s, so most of the time, when I was asked to read out loud in class, it was just a disaster, and I got smacked with a ruler. But now I know that I’m dyslexic.”

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that impairs a person’s ability to read and write. It often causes problems in reading comprehension, vocabulary development and general learning. While people with dyslexia are slow readers, they often, paradoxically, are creative thinkers with strong reasoning abilities.

Dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population and represents 80– 90 percent of all those with learning disabilities. I know a few folks with dyslexia and I’m amazed with the right support, how they can become highly successful students and adults. Their brains just think differently.

When preparing for movie roles, Schwarzenegger reads a script over and over for months until he memorizes every line. With the creation of his audiobook, he didn’t have that same opportunity.

“They told me authors ready their books in 2 or 3 days at the studio. I asked for the recording equipment at home and told them I’d do 20-30 pages a day. That way I could log in with the director and producer twice a day for shorter sessions and I could practice non-stop in between.”

He wrote as well how he used the lessons he touches about in his book, letting himself dread a situation and complain for a minute, but then I forcing himself to get moving; practicing and breaking the work into small pieces, knowing that small wins build up into big victories; and being part of a team. 

I can’t say that I’ve been a big fan of Schwarzenegger’s. I can’t even say that his movies have been favorites of mine, but I respect him for talking about his frailties, working to overcome them, and helping others — those are the skills of a real action hero.