Big Spender, Phoenix Public Seminar and more……

April 26, 2008 | 29 Comments

To answer the many questions I am getting these days about Big Spender.  It is official now - it’s over - it simply isn’t coming back, folks.  A&E needed a sponsor to make it work.  They never found one.  I had a great time doing the show and it seemed to have helped a lot of people, but in television, it takes major bucks to keep a show on the air.  It wasn’t the kind of show that Home Depot, or any credit card company, or anyone selling anything would much want to sponsor since I tell people who can’t afford to shop to stop all shopping.  Therefore the market for sponsors was slim.  We had a couple of great years and while the show had many fans and great ratings . . . no sponsor.  It’s history.

But never fear,  in the words of Arnold, “I’ll be back.”  I am currently working on many new projects.  You haven ‘t seen the last of me yelling and ranting on the tube yet!  I am about to shoot a PBS special and am working on lots of other projects as well.  I have even had talks about another show.  And I am on Fox News the Fox Business Channel and other network news shows quite a bit.  (If you missed any of those, they are posted in my Video Vault.)  So stay tuned and it won’t be long before you see me again in something all new.

The Phoenix seminar will be announced shortly.   Again, if you know anyone who would like to attend, have them sign up to get my email blasts so they can receive the email that will announce the date, location, etc.   I am guessing that we will do it in June or July.  This is the seminar that will be FREE because we are taping it for television.   We are expecting a big crowd!  So show up and you may see yourself on TV when it plays!

One last word to the great folks who post.  I have no problem with people who don’t agree with me.  Make your point if you don’t like what I have to say.  Then move on.  People read my blogs because they like what I write and my point of view.  If you don’t, then go read someone else’s blog and post there.

I recently asked a guy to leave who hated me, hated every word that came out of my mouth, hated my books, hated all of you and felt he needed to comment on every post that was made by all of us.  I asked him to leave – he got belligerent and I just refused to post any more of his trash.   I told him he had gone too far and become a pain in the ass and that he was banned.  He then went to Amazon and attacked me and my books and gave me the most thorough trashing I have ever received in print.  Gave me one stars on my books and then went on the reviews of all who liked my books and told them they were suckers for buying my drivel.   He knows a lot of people will see what he writes on Amazon and that nothing can be done to remove his comments.  All of that is fine.  I am a big boy and I can take it.  Besides I give people enough credit to see that this is an unhappy guy who feels he has been wronged and he gets to play  big man by trashing me on the internet hoping to discourage people from buying my books.  I hope he feels better about himself now.

When you take a stand, people are going to dislike you.  I am used to that.  No problem.

All I ask of all of you is this:  If you don’t like my point of view, say so.  Be respectful of both me and the others who post.  After all folks, this is MY blog.  If you become abusive, you aren’t welcome.  Seems fair to me.  I don’t need or want to see your name on every blog posting talking about how wrong, stupid, or arrogant I am.  I don’t need to be called names or a sellout or a rich right-winger (that one is the funniest of all since nothing could be farther from the truth.  I worked my butt off to get rich, but I’m not a right winger!)  And don’t start fights with the other posters.

Scope up people.  None of this is world peace.  It’s one opinionated guy who other people find entertaining enough to read his comments.  If you don’t find it entertaining and don’t like what I have to say, then go away.   I never started the blog to argue with people.  My time isn’t worth it - nor should yours be.   The purpose of the blog is to vent and have some fun.

I appreciate all of you who show up, read my stuff, comment, and keep coming back.

Larry

Posted by Larry Winget | Filed Under Money & Personal Dev 

Grow up and put on your big boy pants!

April 19, 2008 | 17 Comments

I attended a charity event this last weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona where I live.  It was held partially inside and partially outside.  The temperature was in the high 70’s.  It was a fairly pricey little function to attend and I guess there were maybe five or six hundred people there.  The suggested attire on the invitation said, “Sophisticated Chic – Dress To Impress.”  While it wasn’t specific, I understood what it meant as I am sure most of you do.  But I was amazed at the number of people who thought that the rest of us were going to be impressed by their sophisticatedly chic t-shirts, shorts and Croc sandals.  Come on people – be appropriate!  What goes on in the mind of people when they get ready to go to ANY event other than a kegger on the beach where you think Sophisticated Chic means you can wear a t-shirt and shorts?

I am sick of the lack of couth people show when they go out in the evenings. . . especially when dining out in nice restaurants.  As I said, I live in Scottsdale, Arizona – it’s hot – HELL hot most of the time but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to wear shorts 24-7.  The same thing applies in Vegas – the Rat Pack would roll over in their graves if they witnessed the crappy way people dress when they go to the casino.  I’m not against being comfortable by any means.  But if we were all going for comfort, wouldn’t we all just wear muumuus?  You know, like they do at Wal-Mart?

I like shorts – I wear them a lot:  like to the beach and to play golf when it’s over 110 degrees or to a ball game or out during the daytime just about any place.  That is any place except where it isn’t appropriate.  And the one place where shorts are NEVER appropriate is when dining out after dark in a restaurant.  (Yeah, I know, there are some restaurants where it is okay – use your head – those aren’t the restaurants I am talking about and you know it.  Hooters ain’t where I’m talking about here!)

Here are some rules for when to wear long pants:

If the place you are dining has cloth napkins, you need to wear long pants.

If there are two forks on the table, you need to wear long pants.

If your wife or date is wearing high heels, you need to wear long pants.

If you are wearing black socks, you need to wear long pants.

If your shorts ride up between your thighs and into your crotch because you are too fat, you need to wear long pants.

If the restaurant takes reservations, you need to wear long pants.

If the entrée costs more than $10, you need to wear long pants.

If they DON’T say, “you want fries with that?” you need to wear long pants.

If it’s dark outside, you need to wear long pants.

If the restaurant does NOT have a drive-up window, you need to wear long pants.

If they have valet parking, you need to wear long pants.

If they escort you to your table, you need to wear long pants.

If your bill comes in a folder, you need to wear long pants.

If no one else is wearing shorts, you needed to wear long pants.

If the invitation says, “Sophisticated Chic - Dress To Impress,” you need to wear long pants.

Grow up foks!  You aren’t a little kid any longer . . . it’s time to put on your big boy pants and look like a grown up.

Posted by Larry Winget | Filed Under Money & Personal Dev 

Nip it in the bud! Nip it!

April 5, 2008 | 21 Comments

Remember that line by Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith Show?  Barney was passing out parenting advice to Andy about correcting a behavior of Opie’s.   He told Andy, “Nip it in the bud.  Nip it!”   If you don’t remember the line, that’s okay,  I’m an old guy and I loved Andy and Barney! But the point was a good one then and still is:  When you see bad behavior, nip it in the bud.   

I was reminded of this last night while watching Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer.  Holy crap this guy is good.  In the segment I am referring to, the dog, a big one, had food aggression.  The owners could not go near the dog or the food bowl as the dog would growl, bark and nip at them.  They had not done much to correct the problem and Cesar was quick to point out that since the behavior had not been corrected early in the dog’s development, that the aggressive behavior was now spreading to other areas way beyond the food.  He said that if the aggression was not brought under control quickly and firmly that it wouldn’t be long before that dog was going to hurt someone.  Then he took control and taught the dog owners how to take control.  That’s his position:  YOU are in charge of your environment and your dog  -  take control! 

Great advice.  Correct problems when you see them so they don’t spread and grow.  Take control of your environment. 

Good ideas when dealing with dogs and children.  We have all seen children that have been allowed to get by with things that should have been corrected.  And we all know that the bad behavior will spread and that the ill-behaved child will become bigger and bigger until, like the dog, someone is going to get hurt. 

Now, let me slide that principle over to dealing with employees.  When you allow an employee to get by with something, even a small infraction, that behavior when it goes uncorrected will grow until you have real problems.  Let an employee get by with coming in late and soon that employee will never be on time.  The problem will probably even spread to the other employees.  You didn’t correct the problem with one employee, others noticed it and now they are developing bad behaviors.  At that point, you are no longer the leader, you are following the pack - they are now in charge.  (See the correlation between Cesar’s message and mine?) 

In my life, I take it to the next level.  I believe that when I see rudeness in other people in my regular life, that the rudeness must be addressed and corrected.  (Or at least brought to their attention.)  Now I am not naive enough to think that my comment to them is going to correct their rude behavior long term, but at least I have let them know that they don’t get to treat ME that way and they don’t get to behave that way in THIS situation.

That’s why in by past blog postings, I have told stories about how I speak up when someone is rude to me.  I tell employees when they give me bad service.  I refuse to accept poor behavior in others when it impacts my life. Some of you agree with me and let me know.  Then there are others of you who say things like, “take the high road, Larry, let it slide.”  It seems to me that the high road is what I have been taking.  And answer this for me:  How does letting it slide fix things?

I believe that when you ignore bad behavior in your dog, your child, your employee, or in others, you are condoning that bad behavior.  That makes you guilty by association.  If you and I go out one evening, and you decide to rob someone while I am standing there next to you and I don’t do anything to stop you, a court would find me guilty by association.  In my court, if you tolerate or ignore bad behavior in others, you are just as guilty as they are.  If I let my dog bite you I am going to be the one who pays the consequences.  If my kid breaks your window by throwing a rock through it, I will be the one who pays the fine and replaces the window.  If my employee treats you badly, I will pay the price by losing you as a customer.  Ultimately, I will pay the price because I am responsible for my world.  I should control my world. 

Some of you like to point out that I tell people to stop whining and that my blogs are all about me whining about the service I get.  Oh, come on!  My blogs are meant to be entertaining little rants with a bit of a message that will 1) make you smile 2) make you think and 3) give you one little idea about something you can do to live a better life.  Don’t make it into some earth shattering treatise on the human condition.  This ain’t World Peace folks - it’s a blog!  Have some fun - spout off a bit - move on.  For those of you, who hate what I have to say and my opinion, this obviously isn’t the blog for you.  Go away.  I have made that clear in the past few days to a select few of you who don’t like me, don’t like my opinions, don’t like my other posters and by all appearances don’t like life itself!   In other words, I nipped it in the bud!   

Here is the deal:  Bad behavior is unacceptable at any level.  The reason it runs rampant is because so many of us “take the high road and let it slide.”  I don’t believe that is the correct road to take.  I believe that in order to turn things around, we must all refuse to accept bad behavior, at least in our own little world:  With the people you pay your hard earned money to.  With your employees.  With your kids.  With your dog!  Will the world change?  Maybe not, but at least YOUR world might.   

  

Posted by Larry Winget | Filed Under Money & Personal Dev