Rockefeller’s advice to his son
JD Rockefeller, the oil tycoon, wrote a collection of letters to his son that were never intended to be made public. Well, they have been published and the book of the 38 letters meant explicitly for his beloved son to impart wisdom, philosophy, business, & much more is available to us!
The lesson that stands out most to me is his metaphor on self-belief. As we’ve talked about in a previous meditation, belief precedes ability. He’s writing to his young son understanding this reality to plant the seeds of confidence in self as he’s starting off in his journey of life.
Rockefeller drives the point home with a metaphor:
“Your diamond is not between the distant mountains and the sea, if you are determined to dig, the diamond is in your backyard. The important thing is to sincerely believe in yourself. Everyone has a certain ideal, which determines the direction of his efforts and judgment. In this sense, I think that a person who does not believe in himself is like a thief, because anyone who does not believe in himself and does not fully exert his abilities can be said to be a person who steals from himself; and in the process, because he is running low on creativity, he is tantamount to stealing from society. Since no one will deliberately steal from themselves, those who steal from themselves obviously did so unintentionally. However, this crime is still very serious, because the damage it causes is as great as deliberate theft.”
This message struck me because it takes active work on one’s psychology to remain in a growth mindset. There is a monkey mind or an inner chatter within each of us that is looking to instill doubt. Thoughts of doubt are constantly floating around the brain that do not serve us. Rockefeller is pushing his son to ensure he does not allow self-doubt to take hold and steal his future.
A galvanized mindset requires active participation in affirming ourselves and seeking self-mastery. Rockefeller stressed to his son: “Action solves everything.” Taking action to bolster our belief in ourselves. (meditation, affirmations, visualization, reading, journaling)
Many of the greats echo Rockefeller’s advice to his son on the importance of self-mastery. Leonard Da Vinci shared many centuries before him: “the height of your success is gauged by your self-mastery.” Aristotle before him stated. "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."
I think it’s worth taking Rockefeller’s advice to heart of making sure we are not stealing from ourselves. As Jim Kwik says: “You are the greatest project you will ever work on.”
Onward,
Matt