How to Get Out of the System

The longer one is on "system" the further one's thinking seems to deteriorate. The are several reasons why this seems to happen. You will hear things (like those detailed below) that will keep you in a state of mind where you will think questioning your Upline is something to be ashamed of.

1. Your Upline will tell you to just trust him, he did it, so why can't you. The playing field is "leveled" in this business, after all.

2. You will be encouraged to not listen to news shows, read the newspapers, or read any negative web sites. The reason given is that you don't need that "negative garbage" in your life. You will even be encouraged to eliminate people who are "toxic" to you. This refers to people who do not look at your business opportunity like you do.

3. Your Upline will become your "best friend", as long as you continue to do "the business". Just wait and see how long they hang around when you "gut it up, get going, and quit".

4. You will spend a lot of time with Upline that will stress the idea that you must "change" in order to serve your team. You must make sacrifices (time with your Family and sleep) to "get this business built."

5. You will listen to myriad's of tapes and CD's that will promote that you follow without question what the "Leaders" are telling you to do. Walk by faith not by sight, don't question things,  just follow along.

The result of all this "mind conditioning" is that the average IBO does not realize what is happening. The average IBO is happy to have new friends who genuinely seem to care about him. The new IBO's friends always say positive things about him, so he feels loved, and very proud to associate with his new found friends. Remember, the Upline will keep praising the new IBO, and feeding the line out by saying the money is "just around the corner", if only the IBO will push even harder, show more plans (thereby using more 1st night materials), and sponsor more people into the organization.  The new recruit will be "love bombed" and feel great!

Literally, (and sadly) after a few years of listening to tapes, c.d.'s,  and going to seminars that regurgitate the same information again and again, the IBO becomes a little less enthused. The questions begin to flood his mind, and there may be a period of self recrimination, due to constantly being told only "losers" quit. Eventually, the financial facts must take over, as the IBO realizes the carrot at the end of the tunnel has not appeared. Or, it just may be that  the IBO finally figured out that roughly 80% of the Leaders money is rolling in from the "system" the Upline promotes so hard!

At this point, a process of  withdrawing from the system will be the best thing an IBO can do to save himself and his Family from more financial hardship and  mental stress. This is not as easy as it sounds, though. You must remember that the IBO may have been surrounded by "friends" in the business for a few years now. They have spent countless hours sharing "dreams", going to seminars, staying up all night talking, showing plans until the wee hours, etc. A bond has been established which has been reinforced by the constant drone of tapes, c.d.'s and seminars.  The sober realization that your "friends" may have been using you (because the Upline did make money off you the minute you got on system) will be shattering to contemplate for the IBO. Every IBO I have talked to that has successfully "quit" had stopped listening to system tapes and c.d.'s for a period of 5 or 6 weeks before they quit going to  Open meetings and seminars. After a period of time not listening to system c.d.'s and tapes, the IBO becomes much more discerning when attending Open meetings. A big milestone an IBO reaches is when he informs his Upline he is "off system". The Upline will most likely try tactics of persuasion that may even include telling the IBO they can only work with People "on system" who are serious about  building the business. The biggest hurdle to over come is guilt when you deliberately miss your first seminar. You have been going for so long, there is an amount of guilt you may feel when you don't attend! Instead of buying into that guilt, do something with your Family that day, and have fun, it will help you to feel better.

It has been my experience that the road to restoring your mind to good sound thinking is a hard one to travel. Along the way,  prepare for your IBO friends to shun and ostracize you. You have become a threat to their "business", and they will no longer socialize with you. As the business becomes a dim memory, and has less "pull" on you, it may be that you will begin to wonder how you ever tolerated some of the practices of your "Leaders" to begin with. In time, you will laugh about people running to reach goals so they could drive a leader to a meeting, or ride with Upline to a seminar!

A healthy step to take is to "purge" your car and house of all tapes, c.d.'s, and related material. Buy some boxes, pile all the "system" material in, and give your self a few months of a system free house and car! When you are ready to handle it, catalog your system materials, and attempt to sell them on the internet, where you will recoup less than a quarter of what you spent on your "tools", but just remember you are free, and that is priceless.

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