The Wit And Wisdom Of Larry Winget

As my mentor Dan Kennedy says, “If you haven’t offended somebody by noon each day, you aren’t saying anything of importance, you aren’t even trying to get much of anything done.”

I’ve earned the nicknames “Straight-Talk Steve” and “The No Bull Marketing Advisor,” because I tell it like it is. As a result, entrepreneurs, small business owners and sales professionals are often offended by some of the things I say.

In my 30+ years’ experience working with thousands of entrepreneurs, I’ve found that they prefer I communicate in an honest, no-nonsense, straight-forward manner instead of candy-coating what I have to say. In business, I don’t get paid to make friends – I get paid to help people make a lot of money.

That’s why I’m a big fan of Larry Winget, “The Pitbull Of Personal Development” and “The World’s Only Irritational Speaker.” As his website explains: “He is caustic, straight-forward, never minces words, hilarious and offers solid advice for improving your life and your business.”

When I heard that Larry was going to be speaking at an event here in the Chicagoland area last week, I made sure to be in attendance. As a bonus, the event was running behind schedule, so I got to hang out with him in the hall for about an hour before he went onstage. We shared pet peeves and other entertaining observations about people and business, and then Larry took the stage and gave his usual outstanding presentation.

If you ever get a chance to see Larry Winget in person, do whatever you have to do to get there. In the meantime, you can check out one of his five best-selling books or no-holds-barred DVD’s or CD’s. In each one of them, as his website proclaims, “Larry attacks traditional business wisdom and the motivational myths that plague our society. He also offers advice on how to stop getting by and start getting ahead.”

Here are some of my favorite Larry Winget gems…

“Without all of the crap that ever happened to me, I would be like 99.9 percent of the world: leading a life of mediocrity, full of blame, resentment, and whining.”
– Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get A Life

“What you say you want means almost nothing. When every action you make contradicts your words, your words don’t mean a damn thing! … Your life is a reflection of the choices you have made. If you want a better life, then make better choices.”
– You’re Broke Because You Want To Be

“Businesses get better only when the people in the business get better.”
– It’s Called Work For A Reason: Your Success Is Your Own Damn Fault

“Is everyone willing to become more or do more in order to have what they want in life? The answer is a screaming NO! And that is the problem. People are not willing to put in the hours or expend the effort to change. The world is not made up of the ‘have’s’ and the ‘have-nots.’ It is made up of the ‘wills’ and the ‘will-nots.’ … Your life is the way it is because you have not been willing to do what it takes to make it different. Period. Case closed.”
– Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get A Life

“I am not a blow-smoke-up-your-skirt, you-can-do-anything-with-a-positive-attitude kind of guy. I am a nose-to-the-grindstone, no-excuses-will-be-accepted kind of guy. I’m harsh. I’m abrasive. Your feelings will probably get hurt as you read what I have to say.”
– You’re Broke Because You Want To Be

“It is what we do that gives us the results we have. I prove that, while we say we want success, happiness, health, financial security, good government and great kids, we don’t really do much to make sure it happens. In this way, our actions contradict our words. We sabotage our own success.”
– People Are Idiots And I Can Prove It

“Our kids are a mess! They are overmedicated, overindulged, overweight, overentertained, undereducated, underachieving, underdisciplined, disrespectful, illiterate brats with a sense of entitlement that is crippling our society.”
– Your Kids Are Your Own Fault

“Success is not a secret – it never has been. There are only a few really good ideas and not one of them is a secret.”
– The Secret Is A Total Load Of Crap

“You are not paid to work hard. In fact, you are not paid for effort at all. You are paid for results. It’s not what you do; it’s what you get done.”
– It’s Called Work For A Reason: Your Success Is Your Own Damn Fault

Simple, basic truths, delivered in a straight-forward, no-nonsense way. I believe that if the world had more people who think and act like Larry Winget, it wouldn’t be in the mess it’s currently in.

How about you? Do you have a favorite Larry Winget quote or story? I’d love to read it in a Comment below.