Success vs. Failure

I've been reading this group for about 6 months or so, and I have occasionally posted to it as well. There has been a lot of discussion about success and failure in the MLM industry in that time. Most of it was directed specifically at Amway, but I believe the general ideas probably apply to the other MLMs, too. What follows is my opinion about these two words.

I don't believe that any one of us on this forum can categorically define "success" and "failure" for all people. In fact, I don't believe we can define it for anyone other than ourselves. This is because each distributor gets in an MLM for his/her own reasons, and each former distributor gets out for his/her own reasons.

IMO, only you can decide whether or not you are a success in any endeavor (MLM or otherwise). Yardsticks that others apply (gross income, net income, size of downline, or whatever) may not be relevant in your particular situation.

Success in MLM should be defined in terms of whether the MLM, given that you are putting in the appropriate amount of effort, is doing for you what you want it to do for you. If the answer is yes, then you are a success. Note that this is a flexible, sliding definition. A description of success today (after being in Amway for 6 months, in my case) may not be a description of success a year from now.

Thus, someone whose only goal is to buy the products at wholesale rather than at retail is a success because the MLM is doing what (s)he wants it to do. Extra income, jewel recognition, and so forth are irrelevant to this person.

In fact, on thinking some more, I believe that failure primarily exists in the minds of others because you haven't achieved *their* definition of success. If you have achieved *your own* definition of success, that's all that counts. If you have _not_ achieved your own definition of success, that does not automatically mean you are a failure. The only time, IMO, that you should consider yourself a failure is -when-you- -have-given-up- at whatever it is you attempted, whether it be MLM, tennis, walking on stilts, or whatever. (And even *that* doesn't _always_ mean failure. For example, I took guitar lessons for 6 months some time ago. I quit. That doesn't mean I consider myself a failure at it.)

Just stuff to think about.