« That's AmQuix Dot Info to you buddy! | Main | Jumping Man »
November 24, 2003
How much does Freedom cost?
By QBlog in
I think it's fair to say that one of the primary beliefs among faithful Quixtar IBOs is that by working hard to build a solid and healthy downline one can achieve Freedom. Freedom from the J-O-B. Freedom from worrying about retirement. The Freedom to donate to favorite charities. The Freedom to achieve every dream imaginable. Freedom to be Free.
This focus on Freedom is not written in any literature that I'm aware of but it's part of the culture I observed during my limited involvement with this business. A culture that seemed to believe the money from a successful Quixtar business would provide unprecedented personal Freedom. A culture that seemed to despise bosses and jobs and somehow viewed all efforts for "the man" as a type of servitude.
There was always something about the focus on Freedom and the attitude towards current situations (working in a J-O-B, inadequate Social Security, no time for family, etc.) that repulsed me. It was (and still is) hard to put my finger on the specifics of why I was repulsed. Whenever I would mentioned my uneasiness, someone quickly pointed out that there was nothing wrong with dreaming and we should never "settle" when we could achieve so much more with hard work and dedication.
However, after reading some random observations about Quixtar and carefully considering my own observations, I think I've achieved some personal clarity about why that culture seemed so discordant with my own ideas of Freedom.
After stripping away all the rhetoric and hyperbole it seems that the fundamental message within the "Quixtar Freedom Culture" is that money equals Freedom. I reject that notion. I do not believe that money provides Freedom and examples demonstrating this reality are plentiful, even Biblical (the parable of the Rich Fool - Luke 12:13).
I think of it like this: If my Freedom is intrinsically tied to my finances, then what happens when those finances are gone? Am I suddenly thrust back into bondage? Does my Freedom evaporate with my vanishing bank account? And at what dollar amount can I declare total Freedom? Am I a little bit more free if I make a little bit more money? Is my neighbor who makes twice as much as me, twice as free?
The answers to the above questions should be obvious, but to some in Quixtar they are anything but obvious. It is those people and their ideas of Freedom that repulsed me so many months ago.
Please understand, I'm not saying that money is evil. I don't deny that money is an important part of life and it is necessary to perform many functions in modern society. I'm just saying that those who truly believe that money is their ticket to Freedom are fooling themselves and buying into a lie. I believe that true Freedom is found in things much more eternal that money. But, as always, these are just my perceptions.
Comments
Dwighty,
Do you feel that your options regarding the way you build Quixtar are limited by the, for lack of better words, "traditional", thinking of your upline?
I like checking back to your site. I like the freedom I have not having my soon to be ex-husband ask me if I know of anyone else we could prospect. I do wish I could've just told him I did not believe in aspects of the "business" instead of yelling at him to try to get my point across that I cared more about spending time with him than what he could acquire for me. I saw our whole future already being mapped out by the constant prospecting, meetings, conventions, gatherings with the business people and we hadn't even built a downline yet that we would have to spend time with to help them build the business and go out of town for miles to show the plan (plus work our day jobs). That did not sound like freedom to me! The money he was spending on products could've been saved for our future goals such as a home and a newer vehicle. I care more about what my daughter, her husband and grandsons think about me than the whole rest of the world. I do have personal goals for my life which include a fulfilling J.O.B. and having time for family and friends. I bought my old favorite liquid laundry detergent at the store last week for the first time in 21/2 years, no shipping costs and I was taxed on the actual cost. (I read on another site that unless you call and tell Quixtar you are buying the products for yourself and you order online you are taxed for the products at retail price even though you are paying wholesale cost. It's true, I went back through recent purchases and found this to be true. I did not calculate that before.) I was repulsed by the fear they continued to instill in me about my 401K becoming a 201K, that as a retiree I'd likely be broke or dead and all the negative things they'd say about jobs and employers. If I do decide to operate my own business someday, you can gurantee it won't require me to check with my upline before I make any major decisions. Freedom to be out of the Quixtar "box", freedom to think for myself, freedom to live as I please and not have to listen to a business tape when I travel; though I don't like going through this divorce, I do like the freedom from my husband's adamant determination to make the business work. I admire his determination, I just wish we had had the common goals of giving of ourselves to each other and walking hand in hand realizing what is truly important. Or is that just a dream?
I find these comments interesting.
Anyone that is prospecting the possibility of joining Quixtar or an affiliated business should invest some time and read some literature.
Things of this nature are not about IMMEDIATE freedom. They are about pursuing something you believe in, changing your thought patterns, and understanding what TRUE freedom is!
True freedom is not having to do as your boss says, spend the meat (10am - 3pm, IMO) of your day at the office away from your kids and family, or have to worry about paying the bills. Too many people mistake "freedom" as money and vice versa. This is about time being money, money being time in "normal" society.
It's about building cash-flow, true financial security, so when your boss lays you off you can still pay the bills. THIS IS ABOUT YOUR FUTURE. Not your husband hounding you or being away for a couple of years while he builds passive income, WEALTH for your family, and for generations yet to come.
Read Kiyosaki's "The Cashflow Quadrant" and you'll begin to understand. As he says, I didn't make this game of money, but I know the rules. Take this opportunity of the internet growing up, the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of the world, and make it your own! The information age is just beginning. I'm not going to continue to think like "good little employee", jump from job to job for 45 years investing more time as I get promoted and "miss the boat", so to speak. Consider for a moment the possibilities of the future.
God bless.
I read Cash Flow Quadrant. There are many other ways to build passive income that do not require me to purchase 100-300PV of products monthly, such as real estate investment, which Robert Kiyosaki has done himself. If Quixtar were truly a wealth building business in 2 years, then my ex-husband should already be raking in the bucks.
With Quixtar, you won't be doing what your boss says, but what your uplines say. You trade your 8-5 day job, for a night job and you're still sending the children to the babysitter's to show the plan, go away for weekend functions, (not family friendly), work with your downline and prospect.
There are other ways to change your thought patterns, truly spiritual principals, and ways to pursue something you believe in. True freedom is not having to spout what I've heard on countless tapes, but to express authentic thoughts and expressions. Thanks to sites like these I feel I have a place to share my doubts, etc. and not be labeled a "negative dream stealer".
I wish my ex-husband the best with this, but it just doesn't hold my interest.
Thanks,
Lisa
How Quixtar talks about FREEDOM.. isnt Freedom in life.. they talk about FINANCIAL Freedom.. being able to afford the fishing trip to Alaska you always wanted to go on.. What Financial Freedom means to me is being able to have extra time to see my Family and Friends and go to church on Sunday unlike when i was working Retail and working 9-6 on a sunday and then have meetings from 6-9.. and get tuesday and thursday off when my GF and friends are working...It has nothing to do with Religion.. In fact, It should give a person more time to think about those kinds of things instead of "buying into lies"
We dibt even have freedom? You call this FREEDOM! poeple are so gay!
Hi All,
I want to join this new business of network marketing. I am an International student studying in Australia and I find it difficult to meet my living expenses and tuition fees with my current part time job. Will I be able to generate enough money in a short period say one year to pay back my tuition fee which is around AUD$30,000? Can this be possible if I leave my current part time work and fully focus on this business like amway. How many hours per week should I have to spend minimum to earn the above amount in one year?
Please any one having experience working at business like amway help me out to take this decision.
I cannot afford to pay the register fee and purchase products if I cannot recover the money is a short term.
No dude from Australia, you will not have any money if you intend to invest yourself in something like Amway. They sell the company on the idea of Freedom and "socking it to the man," but in reality you trade a piece of yourself to have the "prospect" of making money. I have been approached by a few of my friends over the past few years about this, especially the ideas of Kiyosaki, and after checking back on them, they all seem hell bent on achieving thier ideal but are nowhere close to where they wanted to be. I've seen middle aged men stop everything, a fair paying job that offers stability, and throw it away on thier dream. These men do not make the riches promised to them because no matter how hard they try, the actual money is just out of reach at all times. One of the worst sideaffects of the many programs like this are that they alienate the members from everyone who is not part of the (insert company name here) experience. Friends refer to you in disgust in private as that guy who tries to sell them on this stuff. Trust, this is not something you want to get into if you intend on making cash and paying off your debts.
Kevin
Freedom comes with options. If you don't have any options to choose from, then what are you free to do?
The idea is to give yourself more options to chose from. You could be "free" I guess living in a card board box. But how long do you think you'd last and is that the kind of "freedom" you want?
I've always said that there is more than one way to climb a mountain. It's the path you choose that matters. Quite fankly, I like this path better than any I've seen or heard of. If I find a better one, I might take it.
Posted by: Dwighty | November 24, 2003 6:13 PM