Hard to believe, but it’s almost back-to-school season. One neat story out of Oklahoma caught our eye: an 18-year-old boy spent a recent Saturday giving away 6,000 book bags stuffed with school supplies.

“We have been distributing book bags and school supplies for nine years now and each time it is so fulfilling to know we are playing a small part in getting kids excited about their education,” said the student, Reed Marcum.

In the past nine years, he’s distributed more than 33,000 backpacks and $1.3 million in school supplies to students and families.

Today, we'll discuss lessons from the book, The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son, in just 5 minutes to read.

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Lessons from John D. Rockefeller

The ideas that helped drive John D. Rockefeller’s rise to enormous wealth and success come one after the other: Starting points do not determine your endpoint. The greatest reward for hard work is not what we get but what we will become. Do it now — opportunity comes from opportunity.

The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son offers insights into the principles and values of Rockefeller, one of history's most influential businessmen. As you’ll see, the letters to his son — not initially designed for public view — highlight the value of taking proactive actions rather than waiting for perfect conditions. Rockefeller advises against procrastination and stresses cultivating good habits and a proactive spirit. 

As head man at the Standard Oil Company, Rockefeller encouraged finding opportunities in every challenge and stressed that visionary business people are adept at turning disasters into opportunities. He was a relentless worker and dreamer who loved working so much that he hardly celebrated his birthdays; rather, he regularly celebrated the day he got his first job. 

The letters capture a titan’s unfiltered thoughts to his son throughout his life. In one letter, Rockefeller wrote to his son when he was 96 years old. (He died at 97.) The letters are part pep talk, part life lessons, and part love letters that cover everything from raising capital and rising from poverty to treating others well. Below, we’ve included our favorite parts of Rockefeller’s letters, edited lightly for clarity and brevity. 

On motivation and perseverance

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. I never thought I would lose. Bring a steel-like determination to face all kinds of challenges…I firmly believe that our destiny is determined by our actions, not our origins. Everyone is a designer and architect of his destiny.

Visionary business people are always good at finding opportunities in every disaster. And that is how I did it…Do it now. Opportunity comes from opportunity. Planning is important. But action solves everything.  People who climb up in any industry are fully committed to what they are doing. They sincerely love the work they are doing. 

Life is an opportunity at a time. Nothing is perfect. We must believe that what we have in hand is the opportunity we need now to get us out of the quagmire of waiting forever before falling into action…stop daydreaming. Think of the present and start doing it now. 

Many people become passive. They want to wait until all conditions are perfect, that is, when the time is right, before taking action. Life is an opportunity at any time, but there is almost nothing perfect. Have the habit of doing it now. Get rid of the habit of being distracted. 

Only by being able to endure what people cannot bear, can you do what people cannot do. No one in the world leads a smooth life. Take a problem that you have and find the opportunity hidden. 

Only sincerely believing in yourself will find you a way. Success is a series of struggles. Nothing in the world can replace perseverance. 

The end is just the beginning. Most people fail not because they make mistakes but because they are not fully committed.  You must go all out. 

On leadership

The rewards of being honest are enormous. 

Listen without the need to respond right away. Listening attentively is less like a technique and more like an attitude. The biggest challenge for leaders is creating an environment where people feel that being open is more comfortable than hiding the truth. Proactively invite others to state their thoughts and encourage them to speak out with words such as “Say a little more” or “I really want to hear your opinion.”

Surround yourself with people who truly enjoy life and truly understand the value of life. They all look forward to every new day and new interactions with others because they regard these as enriching life experiences and enthusiastically accept them. 

I love my employees. I never scold or insult them. So, put your subordinates first: Everyone has an invisible sign on their forehead: Value me!

Every employer is like a conductor of an orchestra. He dreams of inspiring and mobilizing the strength of all employees to make as many contributions as possible, helping him play the gorgeous music that makes money and letting him earn much more money. 

The biggest challenge for leaders is creating an environment in which people feel open to speaking their minds. I cannot imagine the pain of being ignored at work or in the family. My goal is to make everyone feel good at work. I am like a detective who wants to find clues to solve the case, constantly searching for the talents each employee is proud of. 

I like to leave a piece of paper on my subordinates' desks with my words of thanks. The words of gratitude I wrote by hand for a minute or two may no longer be remembered, but my gratitude will have an inspiring impact. After so many years, they can still remember the warm encouragement left by their loving leader and regard it as a precious motto. 

On optimism

Optimistic people see opportunity in suffering, while pessimistic people see suffering in opportunity. Failure is a learning experience—you can turn it into a tombstone or a stepping stone. 

Not many people truly believe they can do something. The power of faith can help us move a mountain. 

Decide to adopt a positive attitude to deal with the complex ups and downs of the world. Even in negative situations, we can make the mind automatically respond positively. Remember, everything can change or be changed. Be a possibilitarian; always see possibilities; they’re always there.

Everyone has unlimited potential inside. Every “no” brings us closer and closer to a “yes.”

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 body's nutrition, they do not forget their daily spiritual food. 

I remind myself regularly: You are better than you think. Never sell yourself cheaply. Too many people overestimate what they lack and underestimate what they have.

Believing that there will be great results is the driving force behind all great careers.

I am an ambitionist. As immigrants, it is our nature to be hopeful and hardworking. As a child, my mother implanted frugality, independence, diligence, trustworthiness, and unremitting entrepreneurial spirit into my bones. 

On enthusiasm

Since I was a child, I have firmly believed that without hard work, there would be no fruitful and positive gains. As a child of low-income people, there is no other way than to gain success, wealth, and dignity through hard work. When I was in school, I was not a good student, but I was unwilling to fall behind, so I could only prepare my homework diligently and persevere. When I was 10 years old, I knew I had to do as much work as possible: cutting wood, milking, fetching water, and farming. I did everything and never wasted my effort.

The hard and toiling years in the countryside honed my will and enabled me to withstand the hardships of starting a business in the future; it also made me more perseverant and shaped my strong self-confidence. 

The people who can get ahead in the world are those who know how to find their ideal environment. If they cannot find it, they will create it themselves. 

Enthusiasm is a force multiplier to everything. The outcome of things is often proportional to our enthusiasm. The person who can create value the most is the person who devotes himself completely to his favorite activities…I have found that most people have two basic wrong attitudes toward intelligence. They underestimate their brain power and overestimate the brain power of others. 

Firmly believe that you are your greatest capital. Fate is the force that will drive you forward. The most important thing is to believe in yourself firmly.  Look at those who fail; you will find that most people fail not because they make mistakes but because they are not fully committed. The same goes for companies. 

Patience is the strategy - impulse is our worst enemy.

The best way to have a good idea is to have many ideas. 

Leadership is not about letting subordinates stick to rigid and standardized work positions, but to find ways to use each person’s strengths and induce them to pour enthusiasm into their work to achieve excellent productivity. This is my way to victory. 

The outcome of things is often proportionally to our enthusiasm. Enthusiasm can make things 100 or 1,000 times better. 

On work, passion, and inner fire

I never treated work as hard labor without fun. I found infinite happiness at work. Work is a privilege. Work is the foundation of all businesses, prosperity, and a shaper of genius. 

A job helps to add flavor to life. But people must love work before it can return the biggest favors and achieve the greatest results. If you give meaning to your work, you will feel happy regardless of its size and fulfilled no matter what self-set results you have attained. If you view work as a pleasure, life is heaven; if you view work as a duty, life is hell. 

Read a lot: Whoever misses the opportunity to read will likely miss the great life. Enrich your mind: A great book is a great tree of wisdom, a great tree of mind.

Visionary business people are always good at finding opportunities in every disaster; that is how I did it. 

Final thoughts

People are great only because of their intrinsic value, not because of the position they may incidentally happen to occupy. 

The mind, like the body, must be fed regularly. Physical, mental, and spiritual nutrition must be taken care of separately. Avoid blaming and making excuses: Self-blaming is one of the most insidious and cunning traps. My motto is: People always have to maintain their energy and be strong and persistent, no matter what failures and setbacks they encounter. 

If you are afraid of failure, you will not dare take risks and will then lose the opportunities placed right in front of you. Failure is the beginning of the journey to a higher position. What I have achieved today was achieved by climbing the spiral ladder of failure and then rising from there. There is no success without challenges. 

Our responsibility is to dedicate ourselves completely to the world and people around us and concentrate on our art of giving. I do not think there is anything greater than this. Let the light of your soul shine on our way forward. 

Dive deeper

For more, read the book of Rockefeller’s letters, check out more background on the business magnate, or watch the video of his rise and business strategies.

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