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10 Questions for Larry Winget, The Pitbull of Personal Development®
By JLP | July 16, 2007
Here’s an email interview with Larry Winget, author and personal deveolpement guru. You can learn more about Larry by checking out his website and blog.
1. How would you define what you do for a living?
I make people uncomfortable for a living. But I do it in an entertaining way. I remind people that they could do better if they wanted to do better. I show them that they already know exactly what it takes to be successful but they are too lazy to do it. I point out that their life and their results are their own damn fault and it doesn’t do any good to blame anyone other than the person looking back from the mirror. I remind people that life and business is simple and encourage them to uncomplicate things. It makes people uncomfortable to be reminded of these things because it leaves them no place to turn except back to themselves. However, I think it is empowering because it is a reminder that anyone can be successful and that it is up to them to make that decision. And never forget, that I do it in an entertaining way - you couldn’t be this caustic or in-your-face and get by with it if you weren’t also funny!
2. What’s your favorite aspect of your job? What’s your least favorite part?
My favorite part of what I do is watching people lean back like I have just slapped them when I say something particularly caustic like, “If your life sucks, it’s because you suck!” They will literally lean back in their chairs away from me. Then I enjoy watching the line sink in, registering in their brains and see their positive reaction as they lean back toward me indicating their buy-in to the line and the idea. And they are usually laughing when they do it. People aren’t used to brutal honesty so they see it as abrasive at first take, then realize that they think the same thing and embrace the whole concept. It’s the shock and then the acceptance that is fun to watch.
Easily the worst part of my job is the travel. I have been on the road 250 plus days per year for the past 15 years. Travel has always been challenging but it has gotten really bad this year and frankly, I’m exhausted by it. Therefore, I’m cutting back some on the speaking schedule from this point on. I’m getting too old and mean to do a different city every day.
3. Who are some of your influences? What’s you favorite book on the subject of personal growth?
The person who influenced me the most is Jim Rohn. His teaching is about life principles, which is what I have tried to emulate in my career as well. I have listened to his audio series, Take Charge of Your Life over one hundred times. I don’t really see life as a tactical journey but more as a journey of principles. When you get the principles right, the right tactics follow naturally.
In the past eighteen years, I have read nearly 4,000 books. I have read books on every aspect of success. Most weren’t very good, but there were a few gems that influenced me greatly. And I have also listened to over 10,000 hours of audio and watched over 2,000 hours of video of the world’s greatest speakers and thinkers. I can’t really give you one great book, but I can give you a few that might surprise you. While I am a bottom line kind of guy, I tend to read stuff that makes me think, not things that just give me a list of do’s and don’ts. Here is a great little list for anyone who wants to change their life: Manifest Your Destiny by Wayne Dyer, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, The Science Of Mind by Ernest Holmes, First You Have To Row A Little Boat by Richard Bode.
4. What do you think is holding most people back from accomplishing their dreams?
You answered the question IN your question. Dreams are a waste of time. Dreams don’t come true, plans come true. I want people to forget their dreams and get some amazing plans. Plans are written down, with specific steps and time frames and actions.
5. You are known as the pitbull of personal finance. How did you get that nickname?
Actually, I have trademarked the moniker, The Pitbull of Personal Development®. Finance is just an offshoot of the personal development approach I have. Money is easy when you get the rest of your life right. I am actually not a finance guy or a business guy as much as I am a personal development guy. I got the nickname because I believe that most motivational messages come across like a really old pet poodle: sweet, cute and without teeth. Kind of enjoyable to be around but no lasting impact. My message is simple: personal responsibility. I believe that all human suffering can be traced back to this one simple concept. That is my message and I grab on fast and hold tight and won’t let go - like a pitbull. The name fits my style and sets me apart from the crowd.
6. Tell us about your show, Big Spender on A&E. What’s your mission on the show?
The show is about people who overspend their way into a financial disaster. They have wrecked their life and the lives of their family with their overspending. I ambush them in the midst of their shopping and in my warm, sweet, loving, nurturing way point out the error of their ways. (You can insert laughter right here!) I force them to confront their problems and put them on the right track and then go back a month later to check on their progress.
I show people that their real problem is misplaced priorities, not a lack of money. You spend your money on what is important to you. Period. If looking cute is the most important thing in your life, then you will spend your money at the mall and abandon your family and your other responsibilities along the way. When the fancy car is more important to you than your kid’s college, your money will go toward the car, not the savings account. See how simple this is? Life is like a crime novel, when you want to know the culprit, you simply follow the money. I also show people how simple it is to get out of debt.
7. Regarding Big Spender, why do you think people get into financial trouble?
Money that is easy to get, is easy to forget. In other words, credit is easy to come by these days and no one is forcing accountability in the collections of that money. We have sadly reached the point where we view the consumer as the victim in the collection of money. I see it differently. When you sign the contract for the credit card or to open the store charge account, you agree to pay a certain amount on a certain date every month. When you do it, everything is fine. When you don’t, you have lied and shown you aren’t a person who keeps their word. The punishment is that the interest rate goes up and your credit report takes a nasty hit. Don’t do it for a few months and someone will get on the phone and ask for their money. And never forget, it is their money, not your money. They have every right to go after their own money that you agreed to pay them. This is one more evidence that most money troubles aren’t really money troubles but are bigger issues. The problem described here is one of a lack of integrity. People get in financial trouble because of a lack of integrity and misplaced priorities.
8. What was it like to be on an episode of CNBC’s The Millionaire Inside? Will you be returning on future episodes?
Filming the show was great and allowed me to spend time with other “Money Mentors.” It was a reminder that what I do is very different than what others in the finance business do. I can’t teach you how to get rich. But I can teach you how to stop being broke. That is my area of expertise. The others are investment gurus. I’m clearly not.
I have done lots of television. I’ve been on CNN and Fox News and The Today Show and dozens of local shows around the country. My A&E show, Big Spender is different in that there is no studio audience or even a studio, it’s filmed on location in stores and people’s homes. The Millionaire Inside had a big studio audience in a major television studio so it was a different experience for me. It was fun and exciting, especially for a kid from Muskogee, Oklahoma who grew up dirt poor.
I am returning for an all new episode on July 28th entitled, “Get Inspired” that will run through the month of August.
9. Can you give us a sneak peek of your upcoming book?
My next book, You’re Broke Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead
Most people won’t want to admit that they need the book but they will all admit to knowing someone who needs it. Trust me, if you owe money, you need this book. It’s practical, it works and it’s a short fun read. I’m a regular guy who grew up poor, got rich, lost it all, went bankrupt, and then worked his butt off AGAIN to become a multi-millionaire. I know what I’m talking about because I’ve done everything in this book.
10. Finally, Rush Limbaugh had a line of ties. Are there any plans for a Larry Winget line of shirts and boots?
I pride myself in my uniqueness and if I saw other people dressing like I do, then I would have to do something else! For now, I don’t think there are many who would be willing to dress like me, but you never know! So to answer your question, no Larry boots or shirts are in the works!
And that marks the end of the interview. I want to thank Larry for his time and wish him the best. I hope you (my readers) enjoyed this interview.
Topics: Interviews |