Larry Winters - Live the Dream: No More Excuses

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Copyright 2012 by Larry Winters

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ISBN 978-1-4555-1363-5

I dedicate this book to my awesome wife, Pam. Without a doubt, she has been EVERYTHING I have needed to get to this point in my life. She has been with me since the very beginning and has been a rock for me when I did dumb things and made huge mistakes. I unintentionally put her in situations that most women would have never tolerated, and not only did she stay, but she loved me through them.

Thank you, Pam. Youve been a great mom to our three children, a perfect match for me with my special personality, and a superb business partner. It has been a wonderful journey.

And to my mom and dad, Helen and George Winters. Both taught me the value of hard work. More specifically, working hard for yourself. When I was growing up, Dad owned and operated an Atlantic Richfield service station. He always told me it was much better to work for your own dreams and goals rather than someone elses. I saw my mom work at any job she could just to support my dads start-up income at the gas station. They both showed me what it meant to do whatever it takes to make your business successful.

Im so blessed and grateful to have such a great wife and parents.

You are the best! I love you.

Writing a book was never in my wildest dreams. But when the idea was presented, I started thinking about all the people who helped me, mentored me, encouraged me, and, yes, pushed me to be the very best I could possibly be, and I realized that sharing the lessons I learned on how to build a successful and fulfilling business was a great opportunity to encourage others just getting started or struggling through tough times.

When I stopped making excuses, committed myself to settling for nothing but success, and invested my time with other hardworking, like-minded people, I started to live the dream and havent looked back since! So many people need to be thanked for the contributions they made to help me realize my dreams.

Special thanks to Mike Bundy, the first to join my team, and his wife, Susan. Your friendship, patience, tenacity, and, most of all, your confidence that we could succeed have helped Pam and me beyond any words I can express.

Thanks to the best leadership team Ive ever worked with, including: Gary and Nancy Ayers, Toby and Mia Ayers, Jake and Jackie Baker, Greg and Jacquie Francis, Matt and Alana Grotewold, Campbell and Dianne Haigh, Roger and Roxanne Holt, Alan and Michele Leininger, Joe and Marybeth Markiewicz, Gary and Tammy Newell, Danny and Renate Snipes, Terry and Lorri Taylor, Doug and Amie Weir, and Mike and Jana Waechter. Each of you continues to challenge me every day to keep growing and learning.

Thanks to Zig Ziglar, the master motivator and author of See You at the Top and dozens of other books, who continues to inspire me. And to Og Mandino, author of The Greatest Salesman in the World and other great books, who taught me the fundamentals of selling that I still practice today.

Thanks to Rich DeVos, Jody and Kathy Victor, Dexter and Birdie Yager, and all the leadership teams of Amway that helped me live the dream. I have written this book for entrepreneurs and small business owners. For nearly thirty years I have been blessed to be associated with the Amway Corporation, a great company with great people. I know the principles and practices I have learned and applied in my Amway business will help business men and women start and grow their own businesses, whatever type of product or service they are providing.

Thanks to John Maxwell, who helped me learn how to be a servant leader, and to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, who helped me draw nearer and nearer to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thanks to Nancy Alcorn and Coach K, who are two great examples of dedication and leadership strength in tough times.

Thanks to all those unnamed but faithful friends, associates, and independent business owners. Thank you for being my inspiration to live the dream every day! I hope this book transforms your thinking in a whole new realm of living and working.

And finally, thanks to Rush McComas, my best high school friend who passed away too soon, but to whom I will forever be indebted for the fun we shared in the business and the joy he always brought to my heart.

Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet.

German proverb

There are some times in life you can never forgeteven though youd love to. For me, the year was 1985.

My wife, Pam, and I were happily married and raising a young family, yet I felt as though I was a complete failure as a provider. Nothing seemed to be working, and the world was crashing in.

We were living in a nine-hundred-square-foot wood frame house that was built on a tiny lot just after World War IIand we were three months behind on the $225 rent. The pressure we were under was painful.

You should have seen the place. It was painted light green and had a driveway that held one and a half compact cars and had practically no backyard. The dirt-floor basement was unusable. To put it mildly, it was a mess.

When my checks bounced, the landlord would warn me, Larry, this isnt working. Youve got to get caught up. It cant go on like this!

In truth, we were one sentence away from being homeless. There were many times when he could have said, Thats it. I am locking the doors and calling the sheriff.

If this had happened, we would have had to move in with either Pams parents or mine. I shuddered at the very thought. What an embarrassment that would have been.

While I was just getting started in my new business, I had tried selling cars to bring in some much-needed extra cash. But the car business was so bad in the mid-1980s that I decided to give it up and look for something else. Of course, the car dealership took back the Volkswagen Rabbit they had loaned me. Bingo! We had no transportation.