One of the things I recall as a "fired up" Amway IBO was thinking how sorry I felt for people who were not Amway IBOs because we were all going to be rich and everyone else was a loser. Our upline used to tell us that we were winners - and if you weren't a winner, then obviously, you are a loser. Many times, the term "broke" was attached to the term loser. That was my mindset back then but having been out of the system more than twenty five years, I can look back and laugh, realizing that the losers were the ones buying stuff they don't need, stalking people at malls and bookstores, and wasting their time and money on tapes (cds), books and functions. We were losing both time and money, which is ironically what we joined to attain more of.
What goes unnoticed in many cases, is how much time and money really goes down the drain for Amway IBOs who work the system. Your life revolves around the business if you are dedicated and hard core. You are always looking for prospects and people to show the plan to, and you have to rearrange your schedules, or outright skip social or family gatherings because of the never-ending number of meetings and functions, many of which teach you nothing about running a profitable Amway business. When I first left the Amway business, I was sort of angry at the time and effort that was wasted, along with the cash I threw down the crapper. But really there is no recourse because I chose to participate, even if under slightly deceptive circumstances.But after I did finally cut ties with the business and the people associated with it, I got back into a routine of sorts. I focused on my job and after some years of gaining experience and working my way up the corporate ladder, I received some promotions, and I retired before the age of 55 with a decent retirement income and will likely have my home paid off by then. So, while I did have to work a dreaded job to be able to retire, pretty much all IBOs are also working a job or business PLUS having to expend their time and money to run their Amway business which has little to no chance of providing a long term stable and significant income. And if I may add, it is the systems such as WWDB or N21 that usually end up draining the IBOs of the most money because of things like the functions, voicemail, cds and recruitment meetings.
So I will ask the question. Who's the real loser? The person diligently working and saving for their future or the person chasing a dream that is unlikely to materialize? Factoring in the expenditure of time also makes the systems even more costly than it appears on the surface.
1 comment:
The Amway terminology that differentiates "winners" from "losers" is a common cult practice. Religious cults speak of "the saved" and "the damned." Psychological cults speak of "the mentally ill" and "the therapeutically cured." Political cults speak of "the oppressed lower classes" and "the capitalist exploiters." Philosophical cults speak of "the morally upright" and "the reprobate evildoers."
All cults must do this, because it is the only way they can justify their existence as a separate group that has special importance. They must demonize all outsiders, since the very existence of successful outsiders threatens the cult's claim to exalted status.
This is why some Amway freaks will say that billionaires like Bill Gates or Elon Musk are "losers," simply because these two men are not involved with Amway. Many religionists will say that anyone not a member of their church or temple or mosque will be damned to hell.
Post a Comment