Have We Lost The Message?

The Amway company was founded on four fundamental principles...

1. Support the fundamental FREEDOM of people to determine their own future.

2. Allow the time and resources to protect and nurture FAMILY.

3. Offer HOPE to individuals.

4. Present the opportunity to receive REWARD in proportion to individual efforts.

These are the four principles of Amway... in print on the Amway literature... inscribed in stone at the Amway headquarters. This is what the company is all about.

Many Amway leaders readily tout these fundamentals in inspirational rallies, and in recorded speeches on CD. Most are very eager to promote the value of personal and financial freedom... the ability to do what you wish to do, when you wish to do it... no boss to tell you otherwise. And many leaders will encourage their business team to "dream big"... to visualize the ultimate reward that awaits them... world travel, fancy cars, the best wardrobe, and all the rest. But wait...

Look again at the Amway fundamentals. What do they state about freedom and reward? Rather than an exclusive focus on personal financial freedom, Amway supports the freedom of every business owner "to determine their own future"... each person should determine his own goals; decide his own objectives for the business. So, maybe you want to "go Diamond"... become the next millionaire in your family... if so, fantastic! But maybe you just want to pay  your mortgage... or the daycare... or the electric bill. Maybe you just want to save for a rainy day... for a vacation... or for the holidays. Many of the Amway leaders would have you believe that "Diamond is where it's at!" ...that you have to "flush that stupid job" in order to be a winner at this thing. Well, maybe these leaders have lost the message... because the founders of Amway want us all to choose our own path, to "determine their own future"...

And look again at Amway fundamental # 4. The founders were committed to giving all business owners the "opportunity to receive reward in proportion to individual efforts". That word "opportunity" is interesting... it doesn't mean "guarantee", for sure. And it doesn't even mean "possibility" really...

According to the dictionary app on my device, the word opportunity means "a situation in which something can be done" or "a good chance for advancement or progress". Here's a question: Have the Amway leaders... the ones who praise the value of 'going Diamond'... have they created "a situation in which [Diamond] can be done?" Have the leaders created an environment in which someone has a "good chance for advancement" toward that goal? Hmm...

The possibility of Diamond exists. And all Amway leaders will tell you that "you can do it!" But, when Amway literature says that less than one half of one percent of all Amway Independent Business Owners earn Diamond income (not quite one out of a thousand average $100K in North America)... do you really have "the opportunity to receive reward", "a good chance for advancement" toward this goal? Again, hmm...

Maybe, just maybe, by focusing almost exclusively on Diamond, many of the business leaders have lost the message. Because the founders of this company want you to have "the opportunity", "a good chance" to be rewarded in this thing. The founders want you to get your reward for all of your hard work...

So, maybe an environment that encourages you to set your own goals is the key... an environment where you can actually learn how to do what you really want to do, not what someone else wants you to do. Maybe 'a situation' where you have the best chance to reach smaller goals... rather than little chance to reach the top... maybe that makes more sense. It certainly is in harmony with the mission of the founders... it certainly is the message of Amway.