In today’s post, I want to share some of my favorite takeaways from Fellowship of the 2%, a famous speech by Amway Diamond Gary Newell.
As a quick disclaimer, I am in no way affiliated with Amway, although I was an independent distributor from 2002 to 2004. During my two and a half years in Amway I listened to more than 1,000 tapes and CDs. They inspired me, motivated me and trained me. Most were good, some were boring and a few were exceptional. This tape by Gary Newell was one of the exceptional ones.
The Fellowship of the 2% is a recording of a speech by Gary Newell, a successful Amway Diamond. He and his wife, Tammy, went Diamond in 2006. They participate in the LTD (Leadership Team Development) Amway Motivational Organization. Gary has been in the business many years, and from what I could find online, he still actively builds his Amway business.
Fellowship of the 2% Summary
You can hear part of the recording in the video below. If it doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will.
Here are a few notes I took while listening to it. Keep in mind most of this is paraphrased into my own words.
In 1950 General Douglas MacArthur is called out of retirement to meet with UN forces concerning issues in Korea. He advised them that they have two choices: fight it out and lose millions of soldiers or let him move around the peninsula and invade the enemy from the rear with his own force.
He was advised not to land in Incheon, because of the strong defenses and it was difficult to navigate. His advisors told him all of the reasons he would not be able to invade the harbor.
On July 25th, General MacArthur announced to the Pentagon where he would strike: Incheon. His advisors spent 9-hours trying to talk him out of it. They told him it would not work.
MacArthur responded “contingency plans unnecessary, we shall not lose one ship. I am not making plans for failure, because I am not planning to fail!”
He and his 261 warships headed to Incheon. The rest is history.
Gary Newell then goes on to explain how this story applies to the Amway business.
The DIAMOND mentality is very simple. Contingency plans are unnecessary. You cannot let anyone steal your dream. You are in a battle. People want to keep you where you are at. You must be willing to fight for your dreams.
If you want to be understood by the 2% of this nation you will be misunderstood by the 98%.
I am part of the fellowship of the 2%. The die has been cast. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone. The decision has been made. I won’t look back, slow down or quit. I am a DIAMOND. I won’t back away. My past is forgotten. My present is focused. My future is secured. I am finished and down with low living, side walking, cheap excuses and dwarf goals.
I don’t have to be first, right, recognized, praised or rewarded. I live by faith, learn by submitting, labor by love, lead by example and lift by prayer. My dream is developed. My decision is determined. My pace is fast. My mission is clear. I cannot be denied or bought. I will not flinch in the faith of sacrifice.
My Takeaway
This speech is so powerful. My take is that if you want something in life you need to get focused, set your goal and get to work. Do not worry about what others say, think or do. Be willing to pay the price. Put in the work, learn from your mistakes and do not quit. Press on! Most people will not understand you and that is perfectly okay. You are on YOUR journey. As long as you know what you want, and you are focused and working toward it, nothing else really matters.
Other posts you may enjoy:
- Lessons from Amway: 10 Key Takeaways
- The Amway Business Handbook by Dexter Yager: Review and Favorite Quotes
- The Top 20 Amway Products of All Time
Three Key Lessons from Gary Newell
Here are a few things I learned from the speech.
# 1: Contingency Plans are Not Necessary
When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you don’t need a back-up plan. Instead, you need to draw a line in the sand, get committed, make a plan, and follow it until you achieve success. He says “I am not making a back-up plan for failure because I am not planning to fail.”
# 2: Don’t Let Anybody Steal Your Dream
You have to protect your goals and dreams at all costs. Sometimes your friends and family will be your biggest critics. In addition, you will stumble across others who will do everything and anything to talk you out of your dreams. Do not let them win! Keep your why and vision in front of you at all times and let your haters be your inspiration, not a reason to quit.
# 3: If You Want to Be Understood by the 2%, You Will be Misunderstood by the 98%.
Don’t worry about what others think! No one cares about your future as much as you do. Surround yourself with people who have what you want in life, and listen to their advice. Do not take advice from people not qualified to give it to you. If someone isn’t paying your bills or sleeping in your bed with you at night, why worry about what they think?
These lessons can be applied in an Amway business or any other business venture.
Final Thoughts
If you enjoyed this speech, The Fellowship of the 2%, or have ever met Amway Diamond Gary Newell personally, please leave a comment below and share your story. I would love to hear from you. Thanks. Have a great day.
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Wow! This is crazy I’m reading this 6 years on! The internet is amazing! Fired up on my journey to come learning from the Newell family and many leaders I didn’t know this opportunity existed!!
London is coming the team I’m apart of 80 peps all actively hungry for freedom!!
Can’t wait to see future posts on here!
Yes, the internet is Amazing.
Are you part of LTD with Amway? Is your team in London?
That’s all really exciting. How long have you been with Amway?
I just love this video by Gary Newell. I listen to it a few times each month just to stay fired up, and I’m not even in Amway.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Came across this tonight. Little about me. I’m in the business as I write this and will be in the business. I’m new and not new (around a year), but I can also tell you I don’t have any pin level of “success” in the business currently. My Amway business growth will not directly affect Mr. Newell’s income either so just fyi on that as well.
I listened to another talk that he gave in 2016 that is so amazing tonight so I started to research him some! So yes, Gary Newell is actively in the business, probably because he didn’t quit the business. Zac Newell’s business has also grown and he is actively in the business as well. Everyone does have their own path and I’m really posting for these reasons:
1. Wanted to thank you for posting this because it’s no longer an audio that I can listen to within the business and I got a lot out of listening to Gary confess his resolve for his business.
2. I’m glad that this is positive for you and that you desire to share that positivity. I hope you influence the number of people during your lifetime that you are meant to influence. Chalk up +1 more by providing this post. That would be me, so thanks!
3. What would happen to that 2% if everyone that was involved in Amway/Quixtar had stayed?
Number 3 is kinda rhetorical. I wish you all well in your endeavors! If for some reason this post causes you to want to try to become part of the team again please contact the person who originally shared the opportunity with you. If that person is no longer in the business then you can reach out to me and if we share the same upline grouping then I’ll be willing to talk to you. If we do not I’ll help you get in touch with those individuals again as they sowed seeds and should be rewarded by your desire to grow your business, not myself. If this is the first time, however, that you are reading about Amway or would like to learn more then feel free to reach out to me and I’ll be willing to potentially speak with you concerning a business endeavor of your own. #growingthe2percent
Yes, I love this audio myself as well. Thanks for the comment.
I love his take on a contingency plan. I have always operated like that in my life and of course the more cautious people in my life are always quick to point out the fact that I need a plan b. However, I agree that if you are truly committed to your vision you will find a way at all costs to make that vision a reality. For me, having a back-up plan is like saying I have some sort of doubts in my abilities to make my goals happen and that is not the case. So I agree 100% with that idea. Great video! Thank you for sharing.
If you are 100% committed to your plan A and you 100% believe you will succeed, I agree that there is no need to have a Plan B.
Wow, that does fire you up. Gary Newell had a great way of giving a person listening to him confidence. Zac, you have every right to be super proud of your Dad.
The no contingency plan just made me really consider my thought patterns. I have always been one to have a plan A, B, and C. Is that setting myself up for failure? That could possibly be. I cannot promise I won’t still do that, but after watching this, I am strongly considering the methods.
Thanks Chuck.
Greg,
I don’t believe there is a right or wrong answer with having a Plan B or even a Plan C. Everyone’s is different.
While things in life rarely go exactly as planned, I think having a Plan B can give people the easy way out. It can cause them to throw in the towel, when they really shouldn’t have.
As always, thanks for the comment.
Chuck
Thanks for the comment. Is your dad still active in the business? What pin level are you in the business. I always like hearing from people who are in the business.
Yes he is. They qualified as new Diamonds in 2006. My wife and and I are currently qualified Platinums.
Awesome. Thanks for the update, Zac!
Gary Newell’s advice – “Don’t let anybody steal your dream!” is very powerful. Too often we take on a project or business that we know we can handle. Then, slowly, we allow other people to tell us how hard it will be- how challenging. We knew getting into the situation that it would be difficult, but hearing others say it cements it in our minds. One piece of advice you shared, Chuck, is affirm (to yourself) that your business will be successful. I think this is what Gary is saying, too. We need to keep believing in ourselves, set goals, and dream big. Great article – thanks!
It’s true, we should never let anyone steal our dream – ever! If you want something bad enough, you have to stay the course, come up with a plan and work your you know what off! That is the key to success.
I definitely think that too often we allow people to give us their input which is often negative and that gets us discouraged and off track. You cannot allow people to rob you of your dream. This is why I am a firm believer in the idea that you cannot tell everybody everything you want to do. Some people will intentionally try to keep you from accomplishing your goals by pointing out the challenges and obstacles. Others simply don’t see the vision and they aren’t supposed to because it is not theirs and so they place doubts in your head. Believe in yourself and stay focused. The moment you take your eyes off the prize is the moment you open the door for distraction.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Instead of telling people what you plan on doing, show them by your hustle and personal actions.
When I was in Amway, Gary Newell was my upline Diamond. I loved being around Gary. He had a great attitude and was a very charismatic guy to be around.
Thanks, Tony. I would have loved to meet Gary.
I am quite familiar with “Fellowship of the 2%” and it is quite powerful. I really like his decisiveness, and completely appreciate the premise of not having a backup plan. I firmly believe backup plans give you permission to fail.
While I was not impressed with Amway (Quixtar when I was with them),they have produced a number of really good leadership and motivational tapes. This is how I was first introduced to John Maxwell, and I still read and listen to everything of his I can get my hands on. Ron Puryear produced a tape quite a few years ago called “Finish the Race” to encourage people to stay the duration, not giving up even when building the business is difficult. Finish what you start.
Never knew you were in Quixtar, Amy. Seems like everyone has been with Amway or Quixtar at one point or another.
I’m a big fan of John Maxwell, too. I learned about him during my time in Amway and have read just about every book he has ever written.
As far as the Fellowship of the 2%, I think the concept of burning your bridges and selling out to something is an important part of success.
Thanks for the comment.
Chuck