The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son: Perspectives, Ideology, and Wisdom

by G. Ng

Experience tells me that people who are bold and decisive can complete the best deal, attract the support of others, and form the most powerful alliance. Those who are timid and hesitant can hardly reap such benefits. Not only that, bold methods are also beneficial to them. People with confidence will turn their expectations into success. They will design all plans to pursue success in accordance with their expectations.

if you feel that you are a winner, you will behave like a winner; if you behave like a winner, you are likely to do more of what winners would do, thereby changing your “luck”.

John, attitude helps create luck, and luck is in your choice. If you do it right 51% of the time, then you will become a hero.

Finding out a way to do things better is the guarantee of being able to complete anything. This does not require superhuman wisdom, the important thing is to believe that things can be done, and to have this belief. When we believe that something is impossible to do, our brain will find various reasons for us not to do it. However, when we believe—really believe that something can be done, our brain will help us find various ways.

I hate my subordinates saying “impossible”. “Impossible” is a term for failure. Once a person is dominated by the idea of ​​“it is impossible”, he can produce a series of ideas to prove that he is right.

The best way to find the perfect idea is to have many ideas. I will continue to set higher standards for myself and others, and constantly seek various ways to improve efficiency, get more rewards at a lower cost, and do more things with less energy. Because I know that the greatest success is those who have the attitude that I can do things better.

Our mentality determines our ability. If we think we can do this much, we can really do that much. If we truly believe that we can do more, we can think creatively about various methods.

From the very beginning, I tried to predict what opportunities would appear, and when it appeared, I would pounce on it like a lion. And I also know that it is better to be a good enemy, many people always like to pursue the best things that comes up and give up the good things. This is not a smart strategy, because good always beats bad. The reality is that ideal opportunities rarely come to the door, but there are often many unsatisfactory ones. However, although good opportunities have shortcomings, they are definitely far better than no opportunities at all.

At the beginning of every new dream, the most important thing is the determination to pursue victory. Not having the right attitude of wanting to pursue victory, makes factors such as paying attention to the situation of the competition and understanding the opponent redundant. Gaining knowledge, maintaining control, and evaluating competition are what builds your confidence and will assist you in achieving the highest goal of victory.

Look at those who fail, and you will find that most people fail not because they make mistakes, but because they are not fully committed, and the same goes for companies.

A wise man will never sit down and mourn over fate.

We cannot prevent others from becoming boring negative people, but we cannot be influenced by them and lower our level of thinking. You will want them to slip past naturally, just like the water behind a mallard. People who always follow their thoughts and move forward actively will grow and progress with them.

When you have any difficulties, it is wise to find people of top quality to help you. Asking a loser for advice is as ridiculous as asking a quack to treat a terminal illness. Your future is very important. Do not ask for advice from a yenta, because this kind of person has no prospects in their lives.

In my opinion, purpose is the driving force behind our potential, and it is the power that governs everything. It can affect our behaviour and inspire us to create the means to achieve our goals. A clear and decisive purpose will allow us to focus on the chosen direction and allow us to try our best to achieve the goal.

I know that blaming is the number one enemy that destroys leadership. I also know that in this world, there is no eternal victorious general. No matter who it is, they will encounter setbacks and failures. Therefore, when a problem arises, I will not feel resentful or dissatisfied. I will just think how can the situation get better? What actions can be taken to solve or repair the situation? Or how can we actively choose to move towards higher productivity and satisfaction.

However, analysing “what are my responsibilities” does not mean self-blame. Self-blame is one of the most insidious and cunning traps. Self-blaming such as “That was a stupid mistake!” will only make me fall into the same trap of resentment and dissatisfaction as any other accusations will. In fact, “what are my responsibilities” is a step with strong analytical power and self-affirmation. When I know that the real problem is not what they should do, but what I should do, I will not complain about myself, which will only make yourself stronger. The stronger you are, the smaller the influence of others will be. It seems that this is not a bad thing.

Listening truthfully is not defensive. Even if you do not like this information, you should listen to it instead of responding immediately. Listening attentively is less like a technique, it is more like an attitude. A skier spends 100% of his attention when encountering obstacles, and he will never be distracted to think about what he wants to say to his partner later. In the same way, as an active listener, you give 100% of your attention to another person, and you will not want to blurt out what you think. In this way, you get rid of preconceived notions and open your mind to create a more meaningful and effective dialogue.

When I was studying, I remembered this sentence: “The most perfect person is the one who thoroughly devotes himself to the activity he is best at.” Later, after I reformed it, I changed it into a management philosophy: The person who is most able to create value is the one who is completely devoted to his favourite activities.

If you don’t devote time to the things you love, you will never feel self-satisfied; if you don’t have self-satisfaction, you will lose the passion for life; if you lose the passion for life , You will lose the motivation of life. Counting on a person who has lost the motivation to do a job well is like counting on a clock that has stopped to tell the time accurately. It is ridiculous.

Unlike some people, I do not use my likes and dislikes as the criteria for selecting talents first. I do not look at what signs are attached to them, what I like is their ability that they show when working. I like my preferences, but I prefer efficiency.

Be willing to try various possible ways to achieve your goals, and have the patience to act in the face of difficulties, courage and resourcefulness, as well as the perseverance of never letting go without reaching the goal.

You have to be a hopeful person. No matter how bad the situation looks or how bad it actually is, please keep your eyes open to find the infinite hope in it – never give up searching, because hope will always exist.

There is only one way to overcome despair, and that is to continue to create possibilities to overcome obstacles. Simply put, hope comes from believing that there are alternatives.

Outstanding leaders have the ability to cope with specific business situations, manoeuvre plans to create new markets, tips for coping with crises, and blueprints for career development for themselves and their employees. When the situation seems to have fallen to the bottom and is irretrievable, they are like brave wrestlers, even if they are suppressed by their opponents and it is difficult to get out, they will never give up any opportunity to turn over.

When things seem to have reached the point of despair, if we still hold on to endless hope, we will be able to surpass the boundaries set by ourselves and provide subordinates with new choices. Therefore, we must have the courage to find a way out of no choices.

Give people the respect they deserve, and they can fully realize their potential.

The most basic aspect of human nature is the desire for generosity. I, myself, am thrifty and self-sufficient, but I never forget to help others generously. I remember that during the Great Depression, I borrowed several times to help those desperate friends, so that their factories and their families survived the crisis. And in my memory, I have never had a record of debt collection and forcing debts, because I know the value of tolerance.

I hope that everyone who works for me will be rich because of me.

John, we indeed have money, but at any time, we should not spend money arbitrarily. Our money is only used to create value for mankind, and we must not give any selfish people a little bit of benefit.

Every top-notch person who reaches the peak or is almost reaching the peak is positive. They are positive because they regularly enrich their hearts with good, clean, powerful, and positive spiritual thoughts. Just as food is the nutrition of the body, they do not forget their daily spiritual food. They know that if they can fill the upper part of the neck, they will never worry about filling the lower part of the neck, or even worry about the financial problems of old age.

John, no one can block our way home unless we do not want to come back. Let the light of the soul shine on our way forward.

(Men are great only on their intrinsic value, and not on the position they may incidentally happen to occupy.)

Our responsibility now is to dedicate ourselves completely to the world and people around us, and to concentrate on our art of giving. I do not think there is anything greater than this.

The reason why a person is known for being the greatest man, lies in his value and has nothing to do with the position he has obtained.

A person is great not because he has a certain official title. The reason why he is great is that he used a few tools to create a greater cause and accomplish his life goal as an unknown civilian. This is the real greatness.

As long as an individual can provide the public with spacious streets, comfortable houses, elegant schools, solemn churches, sincere admonitions, and genuine happiness, as long as he can get the gratitude of local residents, no matter where he goes, he is great. But if he is not thanked by the local residents, no matter where he goes to the earth, he will not be a great person.