rockefeller’s 38 letters to his son——letter 30: don’t let the villain hold you back
dear john:
i think you have noticed that some of your thoughts and concepts are changing because of your friends. i certainly do not object to your expansion of your social circle. it can increase your interest in life, expand your area of ??life, or even help you find a confidant or someone who can help you achieve your ideals in life. but some people are obviously not worthy of your association with him, for example, those who stick to the humble and trivial.
since i was young, i have refused to associate with two kinds of people.
the first type of people are those who completely surrender and are content with the status quo. they are convinced that they are inadequate and believe that creative achievements are only the patent of the lucky ones. they do not have this blessing. this kind of person is willing to guard a very secure but ordinary position, year after year in a muddle-headed manner. they also know that they need a more challenging job so that they can continue to develop and grow, but because there are countless resistances, they are convinced that they are not suitable for big things.
a wise man will never sit down and mourn over fate. but this kind of people will only lament the bad fate, but never appreciate themselves, and regard themselves as more important and valuable people. they lose the feeling of making themselves go all out and the function of self-encouragement, and instead let negativity occupies my heart.
the second type of people are those who cannot carry the challenge to the end. they have longed for accomplishing great things, and they have also made great preparations and plans for their own work. however, in the past few decades or more than a decade later, as work resistance has gradually increased, when hard work is required to reach a higher level, they will feel that it is not worth it to go on like this, so they give up their efforts and become self-defeating.
they will ridicule themselves: "we earn more than ordinary people, and our lives are better than ordinary people. why are we not satisfied and risky?" in fact, such people already have a sense of fear. they are afraid of failure, afraid that everyone will disagree, and fear. in an accident, afraid of losing what you already have. they are not satisfied, but they have surrendered. some people of this kind are very talented, but because they dare not take risks again, they are willing to spend their life in a dull life.
these two kinds of people share a common thought toxin, and it is very easy to infect other people's thought toxin, that is negative.
i have always thought that a person’s personality and ambition, current status and status are related to who you associate with. if he often associates with negative people, he himself will become negative. if he associates closely with small people, he will have many humble habits. on the other hand, if you are constantly edified by big people, you will improve your own ideological level; frequent contact with successful people with ambitions will also enable him to develop the ambitions and actions needed to succeed.
i like to be friends with people who will never give in. a wise man said it well: i want to challenge the disgusting adversity, because the wise man told me that that is the wisest direction to success. it's just that there are very few such people.
this kind of person will never allow pessimism to influence everything, never succumb to all kinds of resistance, let alone believe that they can only spend their lives in a muddle. the purpose of their lives is to achieve success. such people are very optimistic, because they must fulfill their wishes. this kind of person can easily become a leader in every field. they can truly enjoy life and truly understand the value and value of life. they all look forward to every new day and new contact with others, because they regard these as enriching life experience, so they enthusiastically accept it.
i believe that everyone wants to be included, because only these people can succeed, and only these people can really do things and get the results they expect.
unfortunately, negative people can be seen everywhere, and many, many people cannot escape the siege of the wall of negativity.
the people around us are not the same, some are passive and conservative, some are aggressive. some of the people i have worked with, some want to eat, some are ambitious, ambitious, and want to perform better. they also understand that before becoming a big man, you must be a good follower.
to achieve something, one must avoid falling into all kinds of traps or traps. in any place, there are people who know they can’t do it, but they insist on blocking your way up and preventing you from reaching higher floors. many people are ridiculed or even intimidated because they strive for the top. others are very jealous. seeing you work hard and strive for performance, they will try their best to fool you and make you embarrassed.
we cannot prevent others from becoming boring negative elements, but we can not be influenced by those negative people and lower our ideological level. you want them to slip past naturally, just like the water behind a teal. people who always follow their thoughts and move forward actively will grow and progress together with them.
you can indeed do this, as long as your mind is normal, you can do it, and you'd better do it.
some negative people have a good heart, and there are other negative people who don’t know how to make themselves better. they also want to drag others into the water. they have nothing to do with themselves, so they want to make others achieve nothing. remember, john, people who say you can't do it are people who can't succeed, that is, his personal achievements are at best ordinary. therefore, the opinions of such people are harmful to you.
you have to take precautions against those who say you can’t do it. you can only regard their warnings as a challenge that proves you can do it. you also need to guard against negative people from sabotaging your plan to succeed. such people can be seen everywhere, and they seem to be dedicated to sabotaging the progress and efforts of others. be careful, pay more attention to those negative people, and don't let them ruin your success plan. don't let those with negative thinking and narrow measures hinder your progress. those who are gloating and jealous want to watch you wrestle, don't give them a chance.
when you have any difficulties, it is wise to find a first-rate person 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. don't ask for advice from a woman with a long tongue, because this kind of person has no prospects for a lifetime.
you have to pay attention to your environment. just as food supplies your body, mental activity will also nourish your mental health. make your environment serve your work, not drag you down. don't let those resistance, that is, people who pull you on your hind legs, make you sluggish. the way to let the environment help you succeed is to get closer to the positive and successful people, and to interact less with the negative people.
everything must be done perfectly. you can't afford all the extra burdens accumulated by greed and loss.
love your father
may 11, 1902
rockefeller famous quote:
1. a wise man will never sit down and mourn over fate.
2. people who say you can't do it are those who can't succeed.
3. you can't afford all the extra burdens accumulated by greed and loss.
