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Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life
by
Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life
This is not your typical self-help book. You won't find any motivational platitudes or cute business parables here. This is more of a "get off your butt and get to work" approach that can help you achieve more success, make more money, improve your business, and have more fun.
Larry Winget doesn't pull any punches here. He believes that b ...more
This is not your typical self-help book. You won't find any motivational platitudes or cute business parables here. This is more of a "get off your butt and get to work" approach that can help you achieve more success, make more money, improve your business, and have more fun.
Larry Winget doesn't pull any punches here. He believes that b ...more
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Paperback, 229 pages
Published
November 1st 2005
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published 2004)
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life

I forced myself to finish this book so I could add it to my "read" list. I struggled over whether to give it 1 or 2 stars. I do think we all need to hear the "shut up, stop whining, and get a life" message from time to time, and some of the advice in the book is practical. However, only the first one-fourth of the book is really about the "shut up, stop whining, and get a life" message. The entire rest of the book is the author preaching about his own personal beliefs and opinions about religion
...more

Tough love in the beginning. Personal life philosophy (emphasis on the *personal*) for about the last 1/3 or 1/2 of the book. It's applicable, but less about the reader than the first part. I don't agree with everything he says, but he sticks to his convictions, and that's something.
...more

This is the third book of Larry Winget that I decided to read and complete and it took me all but a few hours. And as advertized on the label – he is truly the Pitbull of Personal Development.
But herein lies the twist.
What can you expect from this book?
Straight forward wisdom?
A controversial method of thinking?
Something new?
Well you will be a bit surprised, if your expectations matched mine.
I believe this book came in around 2004 when Larry had already released around 8 book before that – mos ...more

I liked Larry Winget's no-holds-barred approach to a better self and a better life and, to my surprise, I found it helpful. The overarching idea is that if you want something, which could be anything from a better job to a better marriage, then go after it! (notice ! for he uses a lot of them).
For example, in one part of the book he explained how he once lived in Oklahoma, mainly because of family. He hated the weather, though, which gnawed at him daily. After doing a little math, he determined ...more
For example, in one part of the book he explained how he once lived in Oklahoma, mainly because of family. He hated the weather, though, which gnawed at him daily. After doing a little math, he determined ...more

2005 was a pretty good year for reading, since I read a lot on the commute when I lived in Houston (about the only good thing out of that hideous commute to the city). Anyhow, here is my impression of this book from my journal back then:
>>This is a good, smart, straight forward self-help advice book. I think my director selected it for the business section, but the author addresses all walks of life. Basically, the idea is to take responsibility for your life. Don't like it, change it, but it h ...more
>>This is a good, smart, straight forward self-help advice book. I think my director selected it for the business section, but the author addresses all walks of life. Basically, the idea is to take responsibility for your life. Don't like it, change it, but it h ...more

Dec 01, 2017
Amy VanHym
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
not-worth-finishing
"You are here because you need to be here." -- the preface
I am here because I picked this book up in untouched condition for about a nickel at a library book sale because the title was funny, and I won't be here for very long. The prose blathers along repetitively at an early elementary school reading level. The content is padded with lengthy yet empty attempts at creating a conversational tone, and the 'wisdom' is unbelievably juvenile. This book reads like it was written for a child, or a bord ...more
I am here because I picked this book up in untouched condition for about a nickel at a library book sale because the title was funny, and I won't be here for very long. The prose blathers along repetitively at an early elementary school reading level. The content is padded with lengthy yet empty attempts at creating a conversational tone, and the 'wisdom' is unbelievably juvenile. This book reads like it was written for a child, or a bord ...more

I found this book an absolute chore to read. I was reading this for a class, otherwise I never would’ve picked it up. There is absolutely nothing new about his “tough love” approach. He spends entirely too much of this book trying to convince us he’s different. If he was actually different, would he really have to work so hard to convince us? At the same time, he’s shamelessly plugging his other books, which I assume are equally awful. At the end of the day, he seems to be just as much of a scam
...more

Well... I found this in my house while purging my bookcases in preparation to downsize. I know this was a book my ex was to read for a focus group for his franchise. For the life of me, I don’t know what they thought he would really get from it.
The book really should probably be an e-book. The front end is padded with bolded quotes by famous people. The last half of the book is full of two page chapters. Much of the book is anecdotal at best and honestly completely inaccurate at worst.
His comm ...more
The book really should probably be an e-book. The front end is padded with bolded quotes by famous people. The last half of the book is full of two page chapters. Much of the book is anecdotal at best and honestly completely inaccurate at worst.
His comm ...more

I listened to the Audible version of this book. I have read a lot of similar books because I enjoy the self-help and motivational genre. So I was excited to read this but didn't really have too high of expectations. I'm really glad I did because if you like witty sarcastic no-nonsense people he really packs a punch! But at his core, he's really not that offensive. I think it's kind of a schtick. Which is not a bad thing because it does suck you in and it works for him. As other reviewers have cr
...more

Certain people are tough and frank. They have issues but they are smart enough to see through the flimsy motivation books out there in the first chapter, the books do not measure up, and said book sails though the air into the bin.
Enter “Shut Up, Stop Whining, & Get a Life”.
Tough, frank, no-nonsense people that need help (but do not want to be babied) ... step up: this book is for you.
The title tells you it was written by someone just ... like ... you. Life’s disasters? Been there. “You’re angry ...more
Enter “Shut Up, Stop Whining, & Get a Life”.
Tough, frank, no-nonsense people that need help (but do not want to be babied) ... step up: this book is for you.
The title tells you it was written by someone just ... like ... you. Life’s disasters? Been there. “You’re angry ...more

On a recommendation of another friend I picked this up from the library. As personal development books go, it's not kind or gentle. The presentation is quite harsh but has solid advice. The advice is not new, I've read it elsewhere, but the delivery is different. This book figuratively tosses ice water in your face or dangles you out a window by your ankle to get you to listen. On the plus side, it's a graphic novel, so there are pictures and it's a quick read. If you are well aware of your own
...more

Useful in parts. Others seem like they don't apply. The section on marriage/relationships was everything I felt about relationships but couldn't articulate, everything I should've known about marriage but didn't, and everything I've done wrong in all my relationships rolled into one. It will be mandatory listening for my kids here in a couple years.
...more

The final 40 pages made up for the beginning of the book or I would have given it one star. The beginning of the book did not fit this time in my life but may have been more beneficial when I was younger. There were numerous references to “god” throughout the entire book which I would have been happier without. The last few chapters helped redeem the rest of the book.

Read it when i was 21 and didn't had a clue about life.
Changed my life and went fast forward around 5 years reading it.
Got a new responsible mind set !
...more
Changed my life and went fast forward around 5 years reading it.
Got a new responsible mind set !
...more

I just LOVE this book !
I found it when I really needed it.
For me, I couldn't get enough of this book !
He tells it like it is.
Awesome ! ...more
I found it when I really needed it.
For me, I couldn't get enough of this book !
He tells it like it is.
Awesome ! ...more

Aug 23, 2019
Grant
added it
This was the 2nd time reading it. I read it aloud to my wife.
First time read was 10/5/16
First time read was 10/5/16

WINGER CALLS HIMSELF “THE PITBULL OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT” AND THE WORLDS ONLY “IRRITATIONAL SPEAKER.” UNFORTUNATELY, THE BEST PART OF THIS BOOK IS PROBABLY THE TITLE, ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME SOLID, NO-NONSENSE, GLASSERIAN-TYPE ADVICE THROUGHOUT. HE WRITES IN A CLIPPED, CONVERSATIONAL TONE, OFTEN MAKING SHOCKING STATEMENTS TO INVOKE DISCOMFORT AND CHALLENGE. FOR EXAMPLE, - TIME MANAGEMENT IS A JOKE (WE ALL HAVE THE SAME TIME, PRIORITIES ARE WHAT YOU MUST FOCUS ON), THE ONLY WAY TO CHANGE IS TO CH
...more

Also posted on my blog at The Humble Book Nerd:
https://humblebooknerd.wordpress.com/...
Oh, how I hate reviewing nonfiction…but this one is going to be easy. Larry Winget holds no one’s hand. He doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings. And if you ask him why you’re unhappy and unsuccessful, he’ll tell you it’s your own fault. The ugly truth of it is, he’s probably right.
This isn’t self-help as much as Winget calling the reader out, but the real shocker is that everything in this book is so obvious! ...more
https://humblebooknerd.wordpress.com/...
Oh, how I hate reviewing nonfiction…but this one is going to be easy. Larry Winget holds no one’s hand. He doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings. And if you ask him why you’re unhappy and unsuccessful, he’ll tell you it’s your own fault. The ugly truth of it is, he’s probably right.
This isn’t self-help as much as Winget calling the reader out, but the real shocker is that everything in this book is so obvious! ...more

Not a bad premise for a self help book, but I think the writing was a little thin, and I think he needs to provide better/more concrete steps to improving your life.
Example: Telling someone to eat less and exercise more is all well and good, but sometimes that's too big of a task. Breaking down a task into smaller pieces and achievable goals is sometimes a big help in keeping on task...for weight loss, adding more fiber, veggies, and water to your diet can help curb cravings to eat less.
Also.. ...more
Example: Telling someone to eat less and exercise more is all well and good, but sometimes that's too big of a task. Breaking down a task into smaller pieces and achievable goals is sometimes a big help in keeping on task...for weight loss, adding more fiber, veggies, and water to your diet can help curb cravings to eat less.
Also.. ...more

Winget said he was going to be harsh, but he wasn’t. He just told people the truth in a confrontational yet conversational style. His bragging about being an asshole seemed more like a marketing strategy than reality to me—considering all the Bible verses he quoted. I finished it. I’m not entirely sure why. I guess I grew to like him, and I wanted to know how he was going to say what he said because none of it was really new. It had a sexy tile with controversial chapter titles, but much of the
...more

Take-Aways
Stop whining. Take responsibility for the events in your life.
Appreciate the crap that slaps you silly. Learn from your mistakes.
Crawl out of your comfort zone. Gather your wits and face reality.
Create a plan. Without a detailed plan you will flail around without direction or drive.
Stupidity, laziness and indifference create failures.
If you don’t love your job, leave it. (Or find something about it to love.)
Take stock of the people, things and commitments that fill your life. Dump, alt ...more
Stop whining. Take responsibility for the events in your life.
Appreciate the crap that slaps you silly. Learn from your mistakes.
Crawl out of your comfort zone. Gather your wits and face reality.
Create a plan. Without a detailed plan you will flail around without direction or drive.
Stupidity, laziness and indifference create failures.
If you don’t love your job, leave it. (Or find something about it to love.)
Take stock of the people, things and commitments that fill your life. Dump, alt ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

The title of this book jumped out at me from an Office Max endcap - I was feeling particularly moany & whiny at the time, & figured I needed something different to shock me into action.
Well, I got the shock, at least! ;)
MY TAKE ON IT:
Mr. Winget's style is definitely very different from the majority of business/motivational books I've seen. While reading "Shut Up," I found myself irritated or in disagreement with him most of the time. It seemed that his efforts to shock the reader outnumbered ...more

As you can probably tell from the title this is a different kind of self-help book. And if you can't tell it from the title I will admit it here, it is not for everyone, but it sure is funny. It is a kick-your-butt approach to getting your life on track and taking responsiblity for the things that are wrong in your life and then it shows you how to deal with them. Not everyone will find it useful and if you are easily offended you will probably not find it funny either. But if you are willing to
...more
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