Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Looking Out for No. 1 by Robert J. Ringer ISBN: 0-449-21010-3 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.61 (23 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: This book covers it all.
Comment: Years ago I picked up this little gem because of its intriguing title. Over the years I've gone back and re-read it many times. I can honestly say that where I have failed (or succeeded) in life it was because of my adherence, or lack thereof, of the basic, universal truths which Ringer has elaborated in his book. Ringer did not invent these principles--just as Newton did not invent gravitaion.
Ringer covers all the bases: personal relationships, money, work, and the importance of striving to see the world as it is--not as we might like it to be.
If you are unhappy, dissatisfied, or wonder why things are not quite the way you would like them to be, then chances are that you will find an answer in this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: A dose of reality!
Comment: My only conern about this book is the title " Looking out for No 1 " seems selfish it can be so easy to be mislead. "Lifes Hurdles" may be more appropriate. I like this book it simple to read and packs a punch! The hurdles: Love,people,money,relationships,perspective,and more are covered in depth. These are hurdles that people come across everyday; and Ringer shows from experince that he has been there! The tortoise is ever present which adds humour to the book. I would put this book as a worthwhile read if you want to improve, it has depth and gives concrete ideas on how to deal with many situations in life that confront us all. What i find amazing is that Ringer seems to have such a wide appreciation and understanding of life for one individual his ideas cover such a spectrum of issues from many areas. I admire his honesty and leaves very little out unlike some self-development authors that if you are " positive" it will all work! out. Ringer shows that this is not always the case; the " Love Hurdle " is packed with genuine ideas that would equal Mars and venus. " Financial Hurdle " is one which will give many suggestions on how money can be handled! The other hurdles are also informative and give deep insights on many areas of life. The book has depth not in an academic way more in a practical, real life manner. Ringers tape programme " Living without limits " is one which can help you appreciate this book. He is a confident speaker and gives his ideas in a simple, logical, honest manner! I would rate him as one of the best motivational speakers/author of the last two decades equal to Robbins,Waitley,Tracy,Rohn. The title "Looking out for No 1" and "Winning through Intimidation" can be misleading however "Million Dollar Habits" and " Living without Limits" seem a stark contrast however it is essentialy the same information.! Imagine an audience hearing " He's written Winning t! hrough Intimadation and Looking out for No 1 " It would not go down to well! His ideas are outstanding, helpful, and can help anyone improve who wants to. I was surprised to know that this book was actually written in the seventies; however many of the ideas are still relevant today - it shows we have not changed much - I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve not the title but the content.
Rating: 4
Summary: Recommended with a few cautions
Comment: As others -- including Ringer himself -- have said, this is NOT a book about disregarding the rights and feelings of everyone but yourself. In fact, according to the principles presented in the book, such disregard is ultimately self-defeating. This book IS about having a realistic understanding of what motivates everyone including yourself. Like it or not, people want to make the best deal they can make for themselves -- which means if you believe everyone has a moral/ethical obligation to respond to your needs, you'll constantly be disappointed, frustrated, hurt, and a prime target for every con artist with swamp land to sell. How many people do you know who are bitter and angry over life not giving them a better deal -- but who have never given anybody any reason to offer them one? Conversely, if you go through life determined to show everyone how totally selfless you are, you'll also constantly be disappointed, frustrated, hurt, and a prime target for every con artist with swamp land to sell. How many people do you know who are bitter and angry over all the "totally unselfish" things they've done that have gone unrecognized and unrewarded -- and who might be better off and better liked if they'd acknowledge the hidden price tag?
I'm not trying to lecture you, but to present Ringer's message in the best light. One reason I've found his book useful is that I've been both of those people I mentioned above. But I'm not anxious to discuss my own imperfections, so back to the book.
Ringer divides life into a series of "hurdles" that must be cleared in order to reach the "finish line" called success. The order in which these are presented may seem odd at first, but ultimately proves to make sense. For example, why put Friendship and Love after Finance, when many folks probably feel they'd like to take care of the basic human need for friendship and love first, then worry about finding gainful employment? Because of a basic rule that applies to all three situations, but is easiest to accept when seeking gainful employment -- that if you want someone to give you something of value, you have to offer them something of value. It makes more sense to introduce that rule in a context where the reader will accept it, then make the point that it applied in other areas where people don't expect it to.
My only quibble with the order of presentation concerns the chapter on crusades, which seems a bit like an intrusion -- although, to be fair, I'm not sure where I'd have put it.
And I feel the book has two other, bigger problems. First, it seems slanted toward men. This comes across partly in many of the examples, and partly in the coarseness of some of the language. Okay, so there are plenty of women out there who indulge in coarse language as well, but if you;re gonna publish a book, which is presumably aimed at the entire country, you gotta think of the big picture. Even if coarse language doesn't indicate gender bias, it indicates some kind of bias.
The second, and more serious problem is that Ringer is essentially an articulate layman, which means that he (a) may not be qualified to make some of the statements he makes, and (b) lacks (or at least fails to demonstrate) an understanding of how his philosophy fits into the established body of ethical and psychological thought.
The example of (a) that really jumped out at me was the statement that you shouldn't stay in a bad relationship because of children, since children will be worse off growing up with two unhappy parents than with a single parent. Intuitively, this makes sense, but I would act on it without consulting a few child psychologists and/or looking up the statistics.
Regarding (b), Ringer appears first of all to be unaware that the ethical system of rational selfishness is one of three recognized systems. The other two are (1) do what's most beneficial to the greatest number of people, and (2) assume there is a set of absolute moral rules and do what they tell you. Ringer might have had more credibility of he'd acknowledge these systems and defended rational selfishness against them.
But the real killer is that the assumption on which he bases the entire book has been shown to be flawed. This is the assumption that everybody seeks to act in his/her own best interest all the time, even when this appears not to be so. The flaw in that assumption lies in its apparent flawlessness. Every hypothetical situation you can dream up can be explained in terms of the assumption being true. One of Ringers examples is a man who goes to a flower show with his wife instead of doing something he'd rather do. This man is acting in his own best interest because he figures the pleasure he'd get from whatever he wanted to do is outweighed by the trouble he'll be in if he doesn't go to the flower show.
Well, it turns out that because you can't devise a situation that would prove the assumption false, you can't devise a truly reliable test of its validity. Such a test consists of s situation in which there will definitely be one outcome if the assumption is true, and another outcome if the assumption is false. You can't set up such a situation if every possible outcome of every possible situation indicates that the assumption is true.
But that doesn't make book is worthless. The problem I just pointed out occurs only if you read Ringer's statement as an unqualified, all encompassing assumption. If you soften it to something like "Most people should be expected to be motivated by self-interest most of the time," that's another story.
 |
Title: Winning Through Intimidation by Robert J. Ringer ISBN: 0449207862 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 1993 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: Million Dollar Habits by Robert J. Ringer ISBN: 0449218783 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 1991 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: To Be or Not to Be Intimidated?: That Is the Question by Robert Ringer ISBN: 1590770358 Publisher: M. Evans and Company Pub. Date: 01 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: Getting What You Want: The 7 Principles of Rational Living by Robert J. Ringer ISBN: 0399146865 Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group Pub. Date: 21 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: How You Can Find Happiness During the Collapse of Western Civilization by Robert J. Ringer ISBN: 0068596065 Publisher: Harpercollins Pub. Date: 01 July, 1983 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
