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I got the distinct impression, while reading this book that Larry was trying to capitalize on his immense popularity by rushing it to print before he’d had enough new material for an entirely new book. Case in point: There are 19 chapters in this book of which, by my count, half are repetitions of previous chapters.
Tell them what you’re going to tell them, then tell them, then finish up your presentation by telling them what you’ve already told them. That’s a common tactic experienced facilitators use to ensure the audience has heard what the facilitator has wanted them to hear. (Studies by Dr. Ralph Nichols suggest that people recall only 50% of what they hear. So if something is said often enough, an audience will get the point.) I think by using that same tactic in this book, though. Winget comes off as being redundant and, in some cases, not very original.
Are there some points worth highlighting in this book? Absolutely. As the title suggests, Larry is bang on – you, and only you, are responsible for your own successes. (Read chapters 3 and 5.) You can’t bank on someone else doing the leg work for you. Either you have to put in the time and effort or hold out for a miracle. But as Drucker once said, “Miracles are great, but they are so unpredictable. You just never know when one will come along.” Remember: Nothing will ever replace hard work.
Larry Winget has been there and done that, and he has the scars to prove it. Like so many successful entrepreneurs, he has learned some tough lessons along the way. There is no question that wannabe entrepreneurs can learn a thing or two by reading this book. I personally liked chapters 16 and 17. They aren’t chapters in the traditional sense though. As Larry points out, “Some lessons are so short; they don’t require an entire chapter or even a whole paragraph. Those lessons are usually the hardest and most expensive to learn. Hopefully, they will be the easiest for you to remember.”
I sincerely believe you can learn from other people’s mistakes. You just have to be open-minded enough to realize that you don’t know everything. You must be smart enough to park your own ego at the door and be willing to try something different if you’re not getting the kind of results you want. (Change the behaviour and you’ll change the result.)
After reading this book, I recommend that you go to your favorite book store, buy yourself a cup of coffee, and thumb through Winget’s It’s Called Work for a Reason! Your Success is Your Own Damn Fault. By the time you finish drinking, you’ll be able to judge for yourself if there are enough life lessons in this book to make buying it worthwhile.
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