The Life Principles of Rockefeller

It was said that a man like Rockefeller comes into this world once every 500 years. He was of such rarity that he remains relevant even after 100 years. His business practices may be questionable in this time and age but he was a business wizard, a visionary and an oil genius. Others revered him as a top notch management expert while others vilify him as one of the robber barons of the Industrial age. Whatever is the truth, his life principles are still applicable and worth noting to this day.

 

The following are his most popular principles in life:

 

1. I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.
John D. Rockefeller is a frugal man. He is known to keep a record of his expenses. He doted on each expense and scrutinized carefully whether he spent his money wisely or foolishly. He never outgrew his thrifty habits even after he became a multi-millionaire. He inspected every process in his business operations and even thought of ways oh how to save on operations.

 

2. I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.
Rockefeller was a hard-working man. He never squirmed in the face of all obligations and responsibilities he had to take on early in life. He was a self-made man who rose to the ranks of America's richest through hard work and persistence.

 

3. Giving should be entered into in just the same way as investing. Giving is investing.

Other than his collosal oil empire, Rockefeller is a known philantrophist. He gave to various organizations and even devised a way on how to dispose his millions efficiently. It was said that he almost suffered from a breakdown due to the enormous task of dispensing his wealth for the benefit of charity.

 

4. I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.

Raised by a devout Baptist mother, Rockefeller early on realized the importance of reponsibilities. In the absence of his father who was a wandering quack doctor, he assumed a lot of responsibilities.  He was a dependable person and he felt the need to be . He was a good steward of his money and possessions that there was culture of hard work and responsibility in his family. 

 

5.  A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.

A laconic man, Rockefeller was a man of action. He never skylarked with his collegues or his subordinates. He was serene and rarely shared his thoughts with others. He allowed his actions to speak for himself. He was not bossy and he was silent even in meetings. 

 

6. I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity. 

Rockefeller was a vsionary. He can see far more than others and he can smell opportunity in every obstacle. When he started in the oil business, he saw the potential of oil refining  and the many uses of it. He was very calculating and determined. He tried to focus on solutions to many problems he encountered until he built his own empire.