Getting What You Want: The 7 Principles of Rational Living - Hardcover

Ringer, Robert J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399146865 ISBN 13: 9780399146862

Publisher: Putnam Adult, 2000

Synopsis

The author of Winning Through Intimidation and Looking Out for #1 shares his insights into achieving success in every area of life--from business and financial security to romance--by advocating the importance of such principles as Lower Your People Taxes, Commit to the Truth, and Refuse Free-Lunch Temptations. 50,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Real-estate broker turned self-publisher turned mega-bestselling author, Robert J. Ringer's six books include Winning Through Intimidation, Looking Out for #1, and Restoring the American Dream. His work has been read by millions of people and translated into more than a dozen languages.

Reviews

More than 20 years ago, Ringer had two sensational bestsellers, Winning Through Intimidation and Looking Out for #1. In an attempt to recapture the limelight, he has written another provocative self-help book, though it is unfortunately weighed down by rambling critiques on such topics as fast foods, Elvis, talk shows and the misguided efforts of the unnamed New Zealand company for which the entrepreneurial author distributed herbal products for a time. The latter is an especially noteworthy example of the book's lack of discipline and focus, which distracts from Ringer's articulation of a philosophy that may connect for some readers. Defining rational living as a "moral right to do what is in our best interest without hurting another person," Ringer offers his guidelines for achieving a rational life. Among his principles are: acting from the basis of truth; focusing on values, not entitlements; ridding oneself of encumbrances such as an obsessive focus on past hurts and unsatisfying relationships or jobs; behaving with dignity, civility, honesty and humility; avoiding people who tax one's time, energy and vitality; and acting on intellect, not impulse. Though Ringer is no longer a household name, the commercial value of his provocative outtakes and Putnam's well-designed promotional campaign are not to be dismissed. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ringer has a knack for misleading titles. His Winning through Intimidation (1982), for instance, sounds so much like a parody of one-upmanship that even he got caught by it, he reports, and let a Tonight Show host (a sub, not Johnny) lead him to make a fool of himself. But And Screw Everybody Else isn't the implicit subtitle of Winning, his other best-seller Looking Out for #1 (1984), or this book. Although a success advisor, Ringer doesn't counsel succeeding at the expense of others. He encourages "rational living" --that is, exerting conscious effort, making rational decisions, aiming for long-term results, and not forcing or defrauding anyone else--and proposes seven practical principles to do so. "Base Your Actions on Truth," he says, "Focus on Values, Not Entitlements," "Make Choices with Civility, Dignity, Honesty, and Humility," "Avoid Those Who Drain Your Personal Resources," "Rid Yourself of Major Encumbrances," "Develop the Self-Discipline to Act on Intellect not Impulse," and "Learn from Bad Breaks, and Move On." If his verbiage sometimes sounds quaintly moral to contemporary conceptions of rational, it betrays that, though a libertarian, Ringer is no Ayn Randish apostle of selfishness. Rather, he counsels doing well for oneself by doing good for others without presuming to know what's good for any particular other. Of course, within a business framework, doing good becomes less philanthropic than if Ringer were writing theology, which, given his very undivine definition of natural law, it's lucky he isn't Ray Olson
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Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399146865
• ISBN 13: 9780399146862
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272