ROCKEFELLER’S-LETTER-TO-HIS-SON

ROCKEFELLER’SLETTERTOHISSON------DOITRIGHTNOWAThousandYearsofIce★2010-5-20Lifeisagreatcampaign.Motto:opportunityiscreatedbyopportunity.Badhabitscancontrolusanddecidewhethertofailorsucceed,whichareeasytogetusedto,buttoughtogetridof.Succeedingaccomplishingtheapplicationofagoodideaismoreworthythanonlythinkingoutathousandexcellentideasathome.(Toconqueryouhaveneedtodo，todoagain，evertodo！Andyoursecuritywouldbeinsured.)December24，1897DearJohn:Thewordsfromsmartpeopleareeasytobememorized.Thereisagoodsayingfromapersonofwisdom,“educationcontainsmanyaspects,butititselfdoesn’tteachyouanything”!Thisgreatpersonhadshownusatruth:ifyoudon’ttakeanyaction,eventhemostuseful,beautifulandavailablephilosophiesareuseless.Ialwaysbelievethatopportunityiscreatedbyopportunity.Anyseeminglyexcellentplanhasdisadvantage,thoughjustacommonplanitis.Howeverifyouwouldreallyimplementitandkeepon,thatshouldbebetterthanagoodplanwhichhasbeengivenuphalfway,becausetheformerisfightingallthetime,butthelateriswastingallpreviousefforts.AsImentionedabove,thereisnosecretofsuccess.Inordertoobtainpositiveresultsinlife,owningexceptionalintelligenceandspecialskillsiscertainlyfine,butifwithout,thatdoesn’tmatter.Aslongasyoucouldworkvigorously,youwouldalsoapproachsuccess.Thesadtruthisthatmostpeoplehaven’trememberedthiswarning,resultinginmakingthemselvesmediocre.Havingalookatthoseordinarypeople,youwillfindtheyarelivingpassively,becausewhattheyhavesaidisfarmorethanwhattheyhavedone,onlyspeakingwithoutdoinganythingwhatsoever.Everyoneofthemisgoodatfindingexcusesforhimself,sohewouldfindallkindsofexcusestopostponeuntilithasbeenproventhatheistrulywrongorincapabletodoanythingortoolatetodoit.Incontrasttothosepeople,itseemsthatIamabitsmarterandmorecunning.Gateshaspraisedmeasawillingandactiveactor.Ihappilyacceptthispraise,forIhaven’tletitdown.Actingvigorouslyisanothercharacteristicofmine.Ineverliketobeanarmchairstrategist,becauseIclearlyunderstandnoactingiswithoutconsequence.Thereisnothingintheworldyoucangetwithoutthinkingoutmanyideasandmakingthemintoreality.Aslongasalive,itiscertainthatyoumustact.Manypeopleadmitthatwithoutthefoundationofwisdomeverythingisuseless,butthesadderthingisthatevenifyouhavegotknowledgeandwisdom,withoutacting,everythingisstilluseless.Humansshouldlearntostopwheretheyshouldstop.Prepareenough,butdonotactallthetime,sinceintheendthismustleadtowasteoftime.Inotherwords,everythingmusthavealimitation.Wecan’tgetintothetrapofconstantpracticingandplanning,butacceptthereality:nomatterhowpreciseaplanis,westillcan’texactlypredictthelastsolution.Ican’tdenythatplanningisveryimportant,butthatisonlythefirststep.Planningisnotacting,andimpossibletoreplaceacting.Justlikeplayinggolf,withoutgettingintothefirsthole,unlikelytogettheseconditis.Actingcanresolveeverything.Withoutacting,nothingoccurs.Anyway,noonecanbuytheinsuranceofabsolutesecurity,butwhatwecandoistobedeterminedtoimplementourplans.Allthosewholackofactionhaveabadhabitincommon:theyliketokeepeverythingasitwerenow,andrefuseanychange.Ithinkthisisafoulhabitfullofdeceitandself-destruction.Becauseeverythingischanginglikehuman’slivingandding.Butbecauseofinnerscare(aboutfuture),manypeopleresistchanging,eventhoughthesituationsnowarenotsatisfactory.Seeingthosewhoshouldhavesucceeded,butgainednothingvaluable,youwouldfinditdifficulttoresistthetemptationnottopitythem.Yes,itistruethataboutunknownfutureeveryonewouldfeelmoreorlessworriedorscared,orquestionwhethertodoornotwhenmakingsomepivotaldecisions.Butthosewholikeimplementingsoonwouldignitesoulwithdetermination,andthenthinkoutallkindofmethodstoaccomplishtheirdreams,andmeanwhileprepareenoughcouragetoconquerdifficulties.Manypeoplelackofactionsarenaïveandlikelettingeverythinggobynature.Theynaivelyassumethatotherswouldcareaboutthem.Infact,exceptthemselvesnobodyisinterestedintheirtroubles,forpeopleonlyfancytheirownthings.Likebusiness,themoreprofitwecouldget,themoreactivewewouldbecome,forwhethertosucceedorfaildoesn’tmattertoothers.Atsuchtime,we’dbetterworkhardmore.Iftoolazyorscared,resultwouldundoubtedlybedisappointing.Aslongasapersoncanrelyonhimself,hewon’tlethimselfdown,meanwhileontheotherhandwilladdmoreopportunitiestocontrolhislife.Thecleveronlythinktomakesomethinghappen.Themostfrustratingthinginlifeisthatalwaysbeenthinkingtoomuchyouhave,whichnotonlyleadsnoenoughtimelefttoaccomplish,butmakesyouworrytoomuchaboutnumerousstepsintheprocessandthenfeelshocked,sacred.Thereforeallareinvainfactually.Wemustadmitthatnoonecanaccomplishallthings.Cleverpeopleunderstandnotallactionsleadtogoodresults,butonlywiseactionscanbringaboutsignificantconsequences.Asaresult,theyonlydotheworkswhichismostrelevanttotargetandcancausepositiveeffects.Thereforecleverpeoplecanmakethemostvaluablecontribution,andgetthebestreturn.Toeatanelephant,youmustbitemouthbymouth.Sodoeswork!Tryingtoaccomplishallthingsmustwastemanyopportunities.Mymottois:Rockefellerdoesn’ttreatemergencyfairly.Manypeoplemakethemselvespassives,fortheyalwaysdosomethinguntilallconditionshavebeengot.Lifeisfullofopportunities,butnoneperfectible.Thosepas