Great questions again this week. Thanks to all of you for sending in your questions to info@larrywinget.com.
Threenorns: Can you address “fear of success?” Why is it that, as soon as I realize the brass ring is there for the taking, some weird auto-destruct sequence kicks in and it all goes to hell? What do YOU do when you open your eyes in the morning and think, “crap!”?
You ask me a question that only you can answer. What are you afraid of? Do you not want success or prosperity or peace of mind? Every one says they do, but they don’t want it badly enough to push through the challenges. I believe that fear is the greater motivator of all. The reason I became successful because I was afraid of failure. The reason I worked so hard to become rich was because I was so afraid of being poor. I use fear to my advantage. So while people talk about “fear of the success” I think it’s because they aren’t afraid enough of failure. Failure terrifies me! As for “what do I do every morning?” I don’t panic. No good decision was ever made when in a panic. I write things down so I can see what I am really facing in black and white. I break everything down into small pieces and focus on accomplishing the pieces. The whole can be overwhelming, the pieces are pretty easy to knock out. Knock out the pieces one at a time and before you know it, you’ve achieved something monumental.
Tommy: What is your opinion of affiliate marketing programs that are supposed to help people with little or no experience make money is that field? Is it all BS or is some of it legitimate? How can a novice separate the wheat from the chaff?
Tommy, didn’t you answer your own question? How legitimate does anything sound that promises that people with no experience can get rich doing something? Does that sound just too good to be true? If it does, then it is. These programs become more popular in recessionary times because people are more desperate. People didn’t plan, didn’t save, didn’t work and now have no money and no job and they are grasping at straws. Many MLM programs and affiliate programs are capitalizing on the desperate emotions of people and taking advantage. I wouldn’t touch any of them. That will make a lot of MLMers mad and many affiliate programs mad, but before you spend a dime of your money or one minute of your time, ask them to tell you what percentage of their participants succeed. Then make them prove it. They will run from you. Very few make any money with any of this. As for separating the wheat from the chaff, it’s easy when there isn’t any wheat.
Kevin: What do you feel is the biggest idea that our education system has lost and what do you feel would be a good first step to fix it?
Kevin, there are a lot of things broken in our educational system. The idea of failing a kid who isn’t smart enough to pass (for whatever reason) scares educators to death these days. And it infuriates parents because they feel the school system has failed their precious angel, when in reality, the parent failed their child by lack of involvement in making sure their child learned the material. However, that still isn’t the number biggest problem. The biggest problem is the lack of accountability for teachers. I think teachers should be judged just like any other profession. If you lose too many games, as a coach you get fired. If you are a sales person and don’t make any sales, you get fired. If your job is customer service and you don’t deliver it, you lose your job. If you are hired as a chef and people hate your food, you get fired. If you are an author and you don’t sell books, you don’t get paid to write another book. The list goes on and on and on . . . all of us are judged and employed based on our results – all of us except teachers. Too strong of a statement for some and the teachers come after me on this one but I want to make it clear that I have great respect for teachers. Just not for teachers who don’t produce results. How is it that teachers can not produce results and still keep their jobs? Look no further than the teacher’s union. Teachers should be judged on merit and not tenure. So Kevin, I would start there. We have heard for years that “teaching is a special calling” – mmmm, okay. I think teaching is also a job. A job that requires results. If you are hired to teach kids, then you keep your job when the kids have learned what you were hired to teach them.
John: Who would you say had the most influence on your life philosophy, and secondly, where do you think they learned those principles?
John, I learned my work ethic and overly-developed sense of right and wrong from my parents. You couldn’t have paid my father enough money to do anything but the right thing. He was the most principled man I have ever known. Right was right and wrong was wrong and there was no gray area in-between. There was never any justifying wrong or explaining it away or rationalizing it. And wrong always carried consequences. That was a hard way to grow up but made me who I am today. I believe that way of thinking was also more prevalent in small town America in the 40s, 50s and 60s. I think many of those values have become undervalued in recent time. There was a time a man was only as good as his word, now a man is only as good as his lawyer. When the values of honesty and integrity are rewarded and valued, things will get better. When we teach and manage toward a strong work ethic we will get one. There was a time not that long ago where we lived according to right and wrong instead of what we could get by with without getting caught. I grew up during those times and my parents taught me those values.
Professionally, my biggest influence was Jim Rohn. I listened to his audio tape series, Take Charge of Your Life so many times that I wore out 3 sets. He spoke of principles as I learned to do. Most speakers speak of tactics instead. I believe that it is easier to keep up with principles than tactics. Jim is no longer with us, but his material is still as relevant today as ever and I would suggest that everyone listen to that series by Jim Rohn. It is still available from Nightingale-Conant.
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Hi Larry,
Thank you for your great answers. I have read many good books including Jim Rohn. My problem sometimes is I do not know how to APPLY what I learn…the steps. I also wanted to mention that I believe we have a dumbing down of society today. We have lazy parents who don’t do their job, lazy workers who want a paycheck without earning it, our standards are at pathetic levels and there is corruption at every level. One more thing….how can a man who is supposedly intelligent be dumb enough to have sex with his housemaid and not use birth control. :o) I question if there is an honest soul left out there and I do believe that the political party is all dishonest and corrupt. On a happier note, I still have a little faith left! Thanks!
Actually I have a question!! Why do we give free money to illegal aliens? Why can’t that be stopped?
Lynn, we give money to illegals because our system allows it. When we stop allowing it, then it will stop. It’s simple. We, the people, have let our government get by with all they are getting by with and only have ourselves to blame.
Secondly, the action steps are easy. If you are looking for a list of steps to take, try my book, People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It. I give about 40 action lists with step by step plans to take.
Larry, you continue to amaze me with your clarity of thought. It is a rare and precious quality. All of the issues come down to being responsible and, as you have often said, doing what you know to be right. But you need to keep preachin’ ’cause there are too many folks who just don’t get it.
The principles Jim Rohn taught are AMAZING! He was the best.
I hope you read your comments. You say in your videos and book(s) that all the great motivational speakers are lying and that they just sell words. Well, they surely helped you alot. And you listened and read alot of those motivational stuff. And now you are succesfull.
PS: Hows this for the secret to succes: “Just do it!”
Best regards,
Alex M.
Alex, of course I read all my comments. That is a bit of an over simplification of what I say. I give specific examples of the lies after I make that statement. Yes I was helped some along the way by motivational speakers. Mostly about what doesn’t work. By the way, your secret od success is not a secret and pretty much what I have been saying all along. Best to you as well . . . .
Your comments about teachers not being accountable hits right on target. I was talking with a teacher the other day who felt that GRADES were degrading rather than uplifting and holding students accountable. This teacher wanted to remove all grades and accountability because, as she said, grades made students feel bad about themselves.
It’s just a matter of what you’ve been taught, and what you believe. If you believe that grades show you the path to better and better results then you’l use them to improve. But if you believe that grades just are an opportunity to feel bad about the where you are that’s not only an internal student problem, but it’s something that student has been taught by a teach who was looking at the negatives rather than the positives.
And teachers who don’t want to be held accountable are also “feeling bad” about being graded rather than using grades to find the path to better results for the students.
Larry,
How many successful speakers like you are there? Well? To make a blanket statement slamming MLM or Affiliate marketing companies is just plain dumb. One of my favorite books is “Shut up quit whining and get a life”, by you. The problem in today’s world is called WORK, our society (us) have changed it’s definition into try or if I like it etc…do we really think the pioneers liked the hardships they went through NO!…they went through the hardships to get to the promised land, why, they were willing. Today, many people aren’t willing to pay the price for success. The price of success can cost a lot. Every corner we turn in life presents new opportunities, it us up to each of us to see them and work to achieve what we want, we get exactly what we want.
Thank you Larry, great advice as always, especially re the fear of success. Every day we need to make that forward moving decision and break it down into do-able bits. Thanks for the reminder, just what I needed today!
Why does the economy bewilder the elected government ?
How can a country proudly boast it is in the THIRD YEAR of economic recovery yet has double digit drop in home construction ?
In the imortal words of Vince Lombardi
What the —- is going on here?
I was very sorry to read your attack on my profession. I view teaching as my life, not just a job, so I approach my “job” as if my life depended on my students’ success. I value and appreciate the work you do and hope you can do the same for me. Come visit my class some time. You might be surprised.
I thoroughly enjoy your comments and can actually hear your voice in my head as I read the words. Winget followers, I know this guy. He was best man at our wedding some 30 odd years ago. My Larry and I have said many times that his dad would have loved to see Larry as the man he is now. He would get the biggest kick out of his career and his message. Folks, Larry is the real deal.
My Larry is a library media specialist in our local school district. He is at work around 7:00a (teachers are not required to be on campus until 7:45 or so) and works until 5:00p. School ends at 3:00p. He opens the library early for the kids to come in and “chill” before class. He chooses to do this. There is no extra pay. Out of a school (middle and high school combined) of approximately 6-700 students, over 40,000 signed in to use the library resources last year. So, not all educators are in the job for June, July and August. Granted, some are and they should be held accountable somehow. It is the somehow that is the problem. Society, administrators, school boards and parents all share in the creation of the issues plaguing schools today and in the ultimate solutions.
Rick E. How many successful speakers are there like me? VERY few. Just many who claim to be successful. So a generalization about the speaking industry saying most speakers are not getting rich being speakers wouldn’t be dumb, it would be true. JUST like with MLM programs. While most talk about their success and how everyone is getting rich, the FACTS do not back it up. Therefore, what I say about MLM is not a generalization but instead an accurate assessment based on real numbers. MLM, for the most part, is not a way for the people they recruit to make money, only for the recruiters. MLM plans are rarely based on quality of product or service but on the recruitment process. I appreciate your support and glad you like my book. Again, I speak in generalizations and not about the few exceptions whether I am speaking about parenting, money, life, MLM or the speaking industry.
Jodie, in no way did I attack your profession and am amazed you or anyone else could read what I have written and make come to such a ridiculous conclusion. I have nothing but admiration for your profession as I have said many times, in fact, I said it in this very posting which you must have failed to notice. I am tired of teachers complaining about “my position” when they haven’t taken a moment to understand my position by actually reading my position. Read what I wrote: Teachers have a job to do and should be held accountable for doing it. Teacher unions and the tenure issue protects teachers who do NOT do their jobs. That doesn’t mean there aren’t good teachers who ARE doing their job. If you are going to react, react to what has actually been said. And teach your students to do the same. By the way, your job should never be your life, even if you consider it your calling.
Thanks Margaret – great hearing from you and hope you and your Larry are doing well.
Alan – thanks for getting it.
This came in an email to me since the he didn’t evidently want to respond on the blog. His response is too valuable to miss, so I decided to post it for him here since he demands to be heard and wants a response so badly:
From Horst Schmidt, Auckland NZ
BUCKO, You talk A LOT!!!
…get Your FACTS straight…
You DON’T ‘KNOW IT ALL’
with your stereotypical biased
prejudiced image of NM
NM Network Marketing is the BEST BIZ MODEL
there is! The most maligned understated contributory
value-driven BIZ – the BIZ of the 21st Century!
NM is the last bastion of legitimate capitalism –
DON’T THINK FOR A MINUTE – there’s any profession
out there that’s more admirable than NM – it’s the most
remarkable form of free enterprise ever created – it’s time
to get the respect and recognition it deserves – there is
no better biz model – i put it up against ANY of THEM!
THE MOST ETHICAL&ADMIRABLE FORM EVER DEVISED
IN THE HISTORY OF CAPITALISM…most people have never
been taught about LEVERAGE…RICH PEOPLE build NETWORKS
others look for WORK…i could go on FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…it’s A PROFESSION…no different than traditional biz…how many
FAIL…how many real estate estate agents sell a house…how many
quit their gym membership ecetera…HUMAN NATURE is stinking
LAZY…MOST have a LOTTERY MENTALITY…a tennis pro hits
A MILLION BALLS…I WOULD BE HUMILIATED&EMBARRASSED
TO DO ANYTHING ELSE…
Your publications earn You Override Royaly Income CORRECT?
NM the most tremendous profession on the planet – will always be known –
to empower more people to FREEDOM than any other! The convential
world with it’s limitations making money looks so inefficient compared to NM!
Our successes are born entirely of successes of other people that’s WHY it’s
SUPERIOR because of the successes of others…like a snowball develops
into an avalanche…getting BIGGER&BIGGER…on the other hand PEOPLE
are STUPID taking up a profession with a ceiling…some AMWAY guys started
twenty years ago…making FOUR(4) MILLION+ A MONTH…what CRAP MONEY
are You making…LEVERAGE is the NAME of the GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…there is NO other BIZ WITHOUT AN INCOME CEILING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOWEVER…HALF of the POPULATION is not cognitively hard wired to do NM…
no capacity to participate…couldn’t do the biz…if they wanted to…
unconsciously INCOMPETEANT
MOST participants are SMALL PLAYERS…500 BUCKS saves them from bankruptcy
pay their credit card bills…MOST PEOPLE living in a slumber…look at the latested
generation…wires sticking out their ears…the cellphone industry lies to them…radiation
affects the brain…wouldn’t be good for biz…TECHNOLOGY FOCUS SPLITTERS…
couldn’t concentrate for A MINUTE…indoctrinated by their MENTAL DIET=TV…
HOW COME…more&more companies using the NM BIZ MODEL…Richard Branson…
Warren Buffet invested in three(3)…the BEST INVESTMENTS i have EVER MADE…
the british empire collapsed…NOW Yankee Doodle LAND going down the gurgler…
EVERYTHING IS CHANGING…the 2010s…2020s will be HELL…
REMEMBER
WE’RE THE UNTOUCHABLES
WORD OF MOUTH CANNOT BE OUTSOURCED
THE PEOPLE BUSINESS CANNOT BE DOWNSIZED
I’M PROUD to be
A NETWOK MARKETING PRO
rest my case
DARE to RESPOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GREETINGS from DOWNUNDER
Okay Horst, you “DARED ME TO RESPOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” so here you go:
You are way too crazed about your position, use way too many misspelled words, way too many hyphens, way too many exclamation points, way too many capital letters and in your original email to me, used way too many different sized fonts and colors for me to take anything you have to say seriously. Besides, I learned long ago that you can’t argue with an idiot, and you “bucko” are an idiot. Besides, I am clear on the facts and they can not be refuted: Very few make any real money in Network Marketing. Very few approach anything that even resembles rich. The majority don’t even make enough to earn back their original investment. Those are the facts.
By the way, to Rick and Horst: Dont assume that i am not well versed in the world of MLM. Some of my closest friends are the biggest names in MLM and they will quickly back up what I have said here as true. To use the founders of Amway or the earliest guys in the pyramid as the basis of your argument is silly. They are the exception, while I am speaking of the majority. If you are in an MLM organization and making money, I applaud you for being the exception as well. I see nothing inherently wrong with the MLM model and know that it can work. However, I do take issue with the promises that everyone can do it when the majority can not.
Larry, I hear what you’rs saying about the state our schools are in. I’m a certified teacher. When I worked full time, there were times when I was REQUIRED to give a failing student a 51 even if (s)he only got 21%. And then — are you ready for this — I had to see to it that everyone got an award at the Awards Assembly, including the slackers and hell-raisers. I had to find something positive in the middle of all of it, and make out a certificate for it. I was able to circumvent this by giving more awards to those who deserved it and only one certificate to those who didn’t try — but to be honest, some of them didn’t deserve even one! How can you make your class interesting when a large amount of kids would rather be watching wrestling or listening to their i-Pods?
I wasn’t a perfect teacher and I made my share of mistakes, especially as a new one. But I considered myself a good one. The students liked my clear explanations, and one of my proudest moments was when a little girl came into my class mid semester. She was flunking math, but at the end of the year she passed the state required test with a high score, and the following year she got a score in the 90’s! Her parents came back and thanked me for it. (I was a good math teacher because I had a lot of trouble with it as a child, and when I conquered it I could explain it very well to the students. But I digress) In fact, Larry, I had a knowing chuckle out of your admonition that we teachers needed to know that we needed other things in our lives besides our work!
So in other words, Larry, I never went into teaching thinking it would be easy.
Discipline wise, many times our hands are tied; there’s a limit to what we can do. Many times we’re up the creek no matter what we do. If we are gentle and understanding with them, that’s wrong, and when we’re assertive and firm, that’s wrong, too. And the big kicker is this: if a student from the Home From Hell and didn’t behave at home would come into into the room and haul off and hit another child, it was MY FAULT.
I got out. That was probably a chicken thing to do, but life was (and still is) too short to be blamed for something I have no control over. I finally did get back into teaching by being a substitute (talk about being a glutton for punishment). We need administrations who will back our disciplinary decisions and we need to make school less a political game, and I’ve seen way too much of it during my work as a substitute, even though it usually didn’t affect me personally.
I don’t have all the answers, but I hope thal this comment will help to stir the pot and provoke some discussion.
I’m strongly considering retirement after this coming school year. I may need to retire because I love young people and I want it to stay that way!
I just submitted a comment about a different subject, but let me also give you a vote of confidence over the MLM thing. They market many good products, but I’ve gotten stuck on a couple of them, and although I am looking into the possibility of trying it again, I have a sneaky suspicion it would be better not to.
Great comments Linda. Thank you so much for your first hand perspective on both topics. I have many teachers in my family and have the utmost respect for them and know the challenges they face. I also know that the system is broken. Fixing it will require parents to take responsibility for their children and the government standing up to unions. There are no easy fixes for sure.
As for your comments on MLM, you understand the pitfalls based on past experience.
Are you a believer in God?
Merlid – God, yes. Religion, no.