Join Amway And Annoy Family And Friends?

 I read on another blog written by an Amway IBO, that your real friends would not walk away or cease to be your friends because of yout involvement in Amway. I do not believe your good friends would abandon anyone because of their involvement in Amway. However, they might avoid you for a while if you are always talking about Amway, or bugging them to join Amway. They might also feel that it is the IBO who has deserted the friendship in order to attend the endless number of Amway meetings and conventions.  This is the Christmas and New Year season.  What could be more enjoyable conversation that an Amway IBO prospecting you while at Christmas dinner or at the New Year's toast?

As a former IBO myself, I know that I sacrificed many birthday parties, social events, and backyard barbeques in the name of Amway.  Our upline told us that these minor sacrifices would pay us back a hundredfold in the future. Looking back, not a single IBO crossline or my sponsor, ever got any significant payout from Amway. I believe that some IBO's relationships with friends and family may suffer, but not because of their involvement in Amway per say, but because the IBO is putting the relationships on hold while they pursue their Amway dream. It's almost like a friend who leaves home to attend an out-of-town college. Eventually they come home and your friendship is still there.  

As an Amway IBO, I remember our upline telling us that we needed to separate ourselves from friends at times, to avoid negative. I believe this is still true today, based on what I see coming from current IBOs. IBOs might call it "association", where they think they are "hanging out" with successful people, but the reality is that the masses of IBOs are broke dreamers hanging out with each other.  They aren't truly associating with "rich" people.  It's a lie. The diamonds are the allegedly rich people in the room, and they rarely personally associate with the rank and file IBOs, other than when they are being compensated to give rah rah speeches at functions.

Ironically, our upline taught us that we as IBOs were all friends for life. I recall a high level WWDB leader commenting that an IBO who "quits" is leaving their friendship, therefore the remaining group is not responsible for the failed relationship between current and former IBOs. When an IBO says friends for life, what they really mean for most is that you are friends for life as long as you never quit Amway. This is one of the reasons why Amway has been compared to a cult.  While they may not physically prevent you from leaving, there is subtle and peer pressure to keep going.

Shortly after leaving the Amway business, my father passed away. Not a single person upline or crossline called or visited to pay their respects or to express their sympathy. Friends for life indeed.

P.S.  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!