10 Universal Sayings
Chapter 5: I believe in you
I give myself the opportunity
to succeed by not giving up,
because no one can succeed
without putting in the effort first.
With faith,
we can move our community
and our country forward up in a positive direction.
We need to believe in the work we are doing,
or in the future prospects of our new job.
We must believe that the country has unlimited resources
to realize our dreams,
and that the rest we need to do is
to pursue the goals we have set.
Once, I won a charity auction
for a signed book by author Norman Vincent Peale,
The Power of Positive Living.
The book reminds me of how strongly his philosophy influenced me
when I first started my business career.
I was especially impressed with the second chapter of the book
– “Be A Believer = Be An Achiever”.
We cannot achieve our highest goals without believing in ourselves.
One of the most effective ways to help others achieve their dream
s is to strengthen their spirits by saying,
“I believe in you.”
People often say “I believe in you”
to their relatives and friends.
But we don’t always need to say such words,
but show it with our own actions.
Sometimes the fact that we are present at a certain event,
or support a certain cause also implicitly shows “I believe in you”.
The title of my first book,
written over thirty years ago,
is simply Believe!
(Believe!).
The book presents some of the things
that I believed then and continue to believe to this day.
The philosophy and message in the book is the same
as what I present in my talks.
I want to encourage people to believe in themselves and others.
I believe that every person has dignity,
along with a reason to exist.
In my opinion, that is the key
to help build a better society,
warm and happy family “cells”,
and employees to achieve their career goals.
So I want to do whatever I can to let those people know
I believe in them and encourage them to believe in themselves
and keep achieving more.
Many of our headquarters are truly built on trust.
We must trust each other as we believe in our spouse
and family members.
We need to believe that our employees
and Government leaders are
act in our best interests.
We must believe in ourselves
and our ability to take care of ourselves and achieve our goals.
In addition,
we should be wary of the negative effects of others’
distrustful words and actions.
We all have a tendency to doubt ourselves.
That tendency can be further reinforced
by those who tend to oppose it.
For many people, the to-do list is much shorter
than the ones they regret
because they doubt
instead of believing in themselves,
because they decide to listen
to the negative opinions of others,
is to accept the challenge.
They could have been more inspired
if they knew how to affirm:
“I believe in myself”.
I try to do everything
I can to help the Orlando Magic players believe
that they can become champions
even when the team’s status
and the opinions of sports reporters tell them otherwise.
With a famous team like Magic,
we have to become an example of a collective full of faith.
A few years ago,
when the team was in the final for the first time,
I wanted my players to believe
that they could win the title.
Team Magic had never won a championship before,
so it’s understandable
if the players were skeptical about the possibility of winning.
Maybe they are thinking that the championship title will belong
to another team,
not them.
And above all, sports journalists, so-called experts,
are “stuffing” them with the belief
that they are too inexperienced.
One night,
I called them into the dressing room
and told them not to pay attention
to the pessimistic,
negative words around.
I asked them:
“Why not us? Why not now?”.
This quote later became an exhortation for morale in our decisive battles.
We posted that tagline in the dressing room.
In fact, I stuck that tagline on my wall
and still look to it as a source of inspiration.
Team Magic didn’t win the NBA championship that year,
but I think I helped the players believe in themselves more
and let them know I believe in them.
“Why not us? Why not now?”,
the tagline carries
meaning we should believe we can succeed;
We can win, succeed, succeed with our goals.
To do that, we must start now,
because if we hesitate,
we will never get anything done.
Children are
The object that needs to hear the most is the saying ”
Dad/Mother believes in you”.
admonishing and instructing our children
to send the message that we trust them.
When my children brought home the score sheet,
my wife and I never made a fuss about low scores.
We asked him why his grades were dropping so much
and discussed how to improve his academic performance.
We want them to understand
that we always believe they can do better
and encourage them to do their best.
With our actions and words,
we reinforce that belief in them,
saying, “You can do it.
Parents believe in me.”
We try to attend all the games,
plays and other performances at your child’s school.
We do the same now in our grandkids’ events.
Everyone under the stage cheers,
but the cheers of grandparents
and parents will mean more to the children.
Our presence tells our children that we believe in them.
“I believe in you”
– whether communicated by actions,
attitudes, or words
– will permeate the way their children are raised later on.
I also applied the “I Believe in You” philosophy to the members
of the Orlando Magic basketball team.
Although they are talented
and successful professional athletes,
they are still young men in need of encouragement.
As a team owner,
I talk to the players regularly and try to attend most games.
Just my presence said:
“I believe in you”.
I encourage them to play their best every day and in every game.
I always insist:
“We only have one night to present ourselves
in front of some audience”.
At each match, they will play for spectators
who come to see them for the first time
and possibly only for the first time.
The fans always want to see the high quality performance
and see the excellent basketball players.
That’s why we want our players to perform
to the best of their ability
in every game throughout the season
as they most likely won’t get a second chance
to showcase their talent in front of a one-time audience.
Watch your favorite players play.
That thought often pops into our heads every day.
There is only one chance to leave a positive impression
and show the audience
how important they are.
If you miss that opportunity,
there won’t be another chance.
I want the players to know
how much I care and trust them.
My wife often invites Magic players,
coaching staff and staff to our house to play.
Several of my children
and grandchildren also attended.
Having them at home
with our family shows
that we trust them,
care about them,
and treat them like family.
Fans admire NBA players for their talent on the court,
for their multi-million dollar salaries,
and for their national media coverage.
But these players are also just young men,
some just past their twenties.
Among them,
a few people suddenly
became millionaires at a very young age.
So I help them see the importance of investing
and saving money for the future
because NBA basketball careers are pretty short.
I seek to share with them the importance of conduct.
They spend countless hours on the floor perfecting their skills,
but end up throwing them away
with thoughtless behavior.
I advise them to stay away
from indecent people,
inappropriate places
and return home before midnight.
That advice is always met with a mocking smile,
but I patiently help them understand.
People with the ability to create
and build are people who believe in themselves,
but they also need encouragement to ignite the fire
of enthusiasm and passion,
especially when they are faced with people
who always doubt themselves doubt,
refute others.
Volunteering through Helen
and I’s charity is another manifestation of the “I believe in you” attitude.
When you have the backing of a trusted,
talented person,
the value and meaning of that project
or organization increases dramatically.
More than a century ago,
Rehoboth Christian School,
a school for mostly Native American students in the state of New Mexico,
was established.
The school’s mission is to help students
many of whom come from poor,
low-income families
– to develop confidence
and belief in their ability
to have a better life;
Education not only improves knowledge
but also enriches children’s emotional
and spiritual life.
Helen and I have had the privilege of helping this charity
for many years.
We were honored to attend the awarding ceremony
of the new fitness center in Rehoboth,
a project that we and many other sponsors jointly built.
With our participation,
we are fortunate to have the opportunity
to show these students we believe in them and to prove
to our teachers and staff that we believe in them.
I believe in their “cultivation” career.
“I believe in you” can also help build a good community.
I always try to inspire the members of my community
to succeed by assuring them:
“I believe in you”.
The city of Grand Rapids has been reconstructed
for the past forty years.
The city that was almost forgotten in the past
is now thriving with many high-rise buildings racing to grow.
Whenever I am asked to speak,
at a welfare work donation ceremony or at
At charity fundraisers,
I always try to convey the message
“I believe in you” to the community.
I hope I can inspire them to believe
that they can be successful,
that they have a great community
and live in a state in a great country.
I want everyone to believe
that they can personally contribute to the growth of the country
and that everyone plays a very important role.
I discovered that even the president of the United States
finds encouragement in knowing that people have faith in him.
When Gerald Ford was president,
every time I went to Washington, D.C.,
I would call the White House to see him if he had time to chat.
The secretary who arranges appointments
for the President always tells me encouragingly,
“The President wants to see you.
He needed to talk to someone from his country
and not someone who was looking for help.”
As President, Gerald Ford knew he was responsible
for making important decisions
that affect millions of people.
I did what I could to visit him to assure him
that I was behind him,
supporting and believing in him,
and letting him know
that the people agreed with him on important issues.
In daily work,
we really need to be supported by our superiors
or colleagues, believing that we can complete the task well.
Amway Group employs thousands of employees.
To succeed,
they need to work in an atmosphere of mutual trust
and confidence in their own talents.
We recently held an employee meeting
and one of the speakers was the new director
of the food and beverage division.
He shared in front of the staff about his work experience
and how he achieved success in his career.
He started out from cleaning bottles and pots and pans,
and then constantly strived and believed in himself
to achieve the high position he is today.
It’s easy to believe in people who are on the cusp of success.
However,
we should also put our trust in those in need.
Many years ago,
Amway Company acquired Mutual Broadcasting System.
We hired Larry King(9) to host a late night talk show.
At that time,
Larry used to host a local program in the state of Florida,
but it has been three years
since he did the radio show.
We were the first to bring him back to broadcasting.
At the time, our radio network manager worked
with Larry King in Florida
and said Larry was a really great host.
The manager told us,
“If you’re willing to give him a try,
I have an initiative for our radio evenings,
starting
from midnight to five o’clock in the morning”.
So we put Larry on board and opened hotlines
one of the first to do so.
The audience called in and Larry began talking,
interviewing them in a style
that would later become his signature.
I feel honored every time Larry invites me
to be a guest on his show.
Despite reaching the peak of his career success,
he remained with us for many years.
Larry King is a wonderful person.
I feel gratified that I gave him the opportunity
to do a great radio interview and put my trust in him.
Believing in ourselves and others is the key to human success,
something we see so often that we take it for granted.
For example,
looking at the fifty-year-old Mackinac Bridge suspension bridge
(completed in 1957),
more than eight thousand meters long spanning Lake Michigan
and Lake Huron,
connecting the northern
and southern peninsulas of Michigan,
the designers Next, it must believe in its ideas,
the engineers must believe
that the bridge can withstand extreme winds
and the weight of up to thousands of tons of vehicles moving on the bridge,
the workers must also believed
that the concrete blocks
they had poured and the cables they had stretched would
one day resemble the bridge on the drawing board.
To this day,
I still remember something
I wrote in the book Trust! in 1975:
“I believe that one of the most powerful forces in the world is the will of those
who believe in themselves,
who dare to aim high,
and to pursue what they want in living”.
Therefore, I
It is my responsibility to convey
to everyone the core message of “I believe in you”
not only through the book Trust!,
but also through each of my talks.
Jay and I had to overcome many challenges,
but none of them made us give up on our beliefs.
If we took the objections too seriously
and weighed the arguments against us,
we wouldn’t be in the airline business,
open a restaurant,
or start Amway.
Imagine the impact you have had on the lives of those
who are motivated
by “I believe in you.”
“I believe in you” is not only a compliment,
thanking them for a job well done
or for past successes,
it also shows your belief in your ability
to achieve success in their future.
I often tell Amway distributors that their mission is
to lift others up
and that the first rule is to put your trust in others.
Image
This business model and business principles are based on
the fundamental belief that each person has his
or her own worth.
Previously, there was an opinion that:
“Many people do not want to work;
they are lazy,
indifferent; they want to live on social security
or unemployment benefits.”
But we disagree with that and state our point:
“Everybody deserves to be valued,
they want to work and have the will to progress”.
Since then, I have always emphasized the point
that it is almost impossible to build your own business
if you think that people are not good at all.
The ability to create a climate of trust is a skill today’s leaders need.
As I said,
learning to be optimistic
and speak positive words is especially important for leaders.
They need to express what they believe in
and communicate that belief to those
who will join them.
Some people say that
I’m not selling consumer products,
but I’m selling “you for yourself”.
Maybe it’s
because I’ve seen so many people choose a confident attitude.
At first,
they feel uncertain and self-doubtful,
but with each small “step” of success,
their confidence grows little by little.
Finally, they realize their hidden potential,
which they have not known for a long time.
We will never realize our abilities
if we do not accept the challenge.
In 1987, a sailing friend asked me
to help the New York Yacht Club win back
the championship trophy from Australia.
Amway is also one of three sponsors for the sailing fleet,
so I have a share in that as well.
We didn’t win,
but in the defeat I remained optimistic.
When asked by the media for my reaction,
I said:
“If you don’t enter the race,
you will never win.
Life works the same way.
Even though we didn’t win,
we attended and finished our part.”
I give myself the opportunity
to succeed by not giving up,
because no one can succeed
without putting in the effort first.
Believing in yourself doesn’t always mean having a vision.
We started this business in the basement,
not with a big factory.
We don’t even know how to sell.
But after a few people sold a few products
and opened up more opportunities for many,
we built an office building
with an area of thirty meters
by thirteen meters.
What an impressive prospect!
But we didn’t think Amway was going
to be a big business in the first place!
The point here is either you try,
or you whine.
My father never let me say the word “impossible”.
The opposite of “impossible” is “trying”.
Believing in yourself,
you can envision the kind of person you are likely to be.
Then you put all your efforts
to achieve the goals you set out.
Then your confidence is enough
to inspire others to believe in themselves.
“I believe in you” is a powerful inspirational statement
that leaders should show to employees,
parents should tell their children;
be a source of spiritual support for a friend
who is going through a difficult time, etc.
With trust, we can move our community
and country forward in a positive direction.
We need to believe in the work we are doing,
or in the future prospects of our new job.
We must believe that the country has unlimited resources
to realize our dreams,
and that the rest we need to do is
to pursue the goals we have set.
