Recently, there's been some debate between critics and Amway supporters over an issue regarding a WWDB function called 'Dream Night". A WWDB IBO reported that the function was sold out but would not disclose the amount of a Dream Night ticket. He later posted an article saying that he was sorry for being "negative". Now as a former IBO from WWDB, I was taught to be only positive, That we have too much negative in our lives and that we need the positive. But there's a difference between being positive and being "Amway" positive. For example, if you got sick and caught a "cold", they would say they caught a "warm"
Now I agree that having only "negatives" in our lives would be detrimental. That eventually, we would be worn down by only negative. But conversely, the teaching of having only positive in your life can be equally damaging. I recall an old Twilight Zone episode where a guy allegedly dies and he thinks he went to heaven as a man in white came to him and offered to grant him what he wanted. He asked for girls and to be a winner in gambling. Well, the man could never lose a single bet. He won every single time and he had girls all over him. He found it to be no challenge and found life so mundane and predictable that he asked the man in white if he could lose once in a while or be challenged. The man in white basically said "no" and the man (I believe his name was Rocky) Rocky, said how come heaven was so lame (not verbatim). The man in white proceeded to tell him "what makes you think you're in heaven" and laughed incessantly while the Twilight Zone music ended the show.
Now being positive and having a good attitude is a good idea and probably good for your business, but having only positive and shutting out all negatives is a ridiculous thing and it seems as if WWDB leaders are still teaching it. What happens if your business gets audited? You tell the IRS man you can't speak to him if it's not "positive news"? What if you go to the doctor? You tell him don't let you know what's going on unless it's positive news? If there's a natural disaster in your town, you turn off the news because it's not "positive"? What if your body could not feel pain? Would that be positive for you? It might but the reality is that not feeling pain or having zero stress is likely to be detrimental to your health. It's a fact that people need some degree of stress in their lives. Too much or too little can actually cause you problems.
In my informed and experienced opinion, I believe that some Amway and WWDB leaders teach you to shut out negative in your life is because lots and lots and lots of people have negative experiences and things to say about Amway and WWDB. If you doubt me, ask about Greg Duncan, Dave Shores, Brad Wolgamott, Dean Kosage and some others. Ask your sponsor or your upline what happened to these folks. If they tell you nothing or that it's negative, I challenge you to google search and find out for yourself. If your upline still denies it or says you should shut out negative, maybe you should find out what they are hiding by shutting out all negative in their lives?
Having only positive in your life is probably "weird". Is that what you want to be?
8 comments:
Yeah, Shaun Guthrie from Edmonton acted as though the Alberta WWDB market was exploding all over the place. I think his upline was Clayton & Liz Lesoway and I don't see very much on them either.
They did at one time have a video about them buying Clay's dad a truck, but it has since gone the way of the dodo bird, much like the Edmonton WWDB group.
In spite of trying to be positive, it looks like that particular group wasn't different or special in any way.
Wonder how much it cost those guys to figure that out? Doubt that's a positive thought now in retrospect......
A lot of this "being positive" nonsense comes from a silly and dangerous book by Norman Vincent Peale, called "The Power of Positive Thinking." It's a bible in Amway circles, and new recruits are ordered to keep it by their bedside table at all times.
Peale's book has been condemned by reputable psychologists ever since it appeared in the early 1950s. Peale's own collaborator in psychological studies refused to have anything more to do with him after the book came out. That's how much of an embarrassment it was.
One universal psychiatric criticism of the "positive thinking" notion is that it is really a form of "auto-hypnosis," whereby the person practicing it is encouraged to disregard anything in the world that might be annoying or troublesome, and instead concentrate on thinking only "good" thoughts. It's an infantile escape mechanism from reality.
Doesn't this explain a lot about people in Amway? They refuse to "think negative," or "say negative," or "be negative" about ANYTHING, even a goddamned cold. That's why they walk around with that stupid fake smile plastered on their faces all the time. And they don't want to be around or deal with anyone who doesn't share their infantile, immature, Smiley-Pace positive vibe. It's truly laughable.
Yes, that Twilight Zone episode was a classic. The man in white was the Devil, played by the English actor Sebastian Cabot.
Rocket, spot on! My former diamond, Scott Harimoto had 7 directs when I was in the "biz". 6 of them were rubies. None of them are direct distributors and I don't think any of them are even in the business anymore unless they simply make a few purchases now and then.
There was a really solid direct named Kevin who bought his dad a truck with his Ruby bonus and there was a video shown and he was edified but he too, has gone the way of the dodo.
And guess what? If your directs (platinums) cannot stay qualified, there is not residual income.
Wow, you saw that twilight zone show? That is awesome. I wrote this article shortly after seeing that episode as it reminded me of how lame the Amwayers were. But as I said, a world with no negative would indeed be mundance and actually dangerous. Thanks for your comments.
If you want to see a Twilight Zone episode that is very close to understanding the Amway fixation on "positive thinking," watch the one titled "It's A Good Life" starring the boy actor Billy Mumy. It's as scary as hell. And it's about what happens when people are forced to think "positive thoughts" about everything all the time.
The episode is available on-line. It'll remind you of an Amway meeting.
OMG, I do remember that episode. The kid had powers and all the family and adults had to suck up to him and think positive to keep him happy. Scary is right. And that it a good description of how some Amwayers act.
I realize this comment is from a few years ago but just an FYI that Liz & Clay Lesoway are still very active in the Amway world. They are driving my brother and sister in laws lives into the ground trying to get them to 'go emerald' whuch I think will make Liz and Clay go diamond or something? Not entirely sure if they're already diamond or not.
Hopefully your bother and sister in law got out before it was too late.
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