The basic philosophy of John D. Rockefeller is best summed up in a poem he wrote on his eighty-sixth birthday.

I was early taught to work as well as play, My life has been one long, happy holiday, Full of work and full of play - I dropped the worry on the way - And God was good to me every day.

By the time he took his first job as a clerk, Rockefeller's secret of success was pretty well established. He modeled himself after his extraordinary, deeply religious, loving Mother, while ignoring the hardships caused by his wild, reckless and roving father. John learned to follow St. Paul's advice, "Forgetting the things of the past, I press forward towards the goal.”

This Bible passage helped him in "forgetting" his poor and difficult background and the fact that his boss thought he'd never amount to anything more than a clerk. He was known for ignoring any criticism, negativity or "bad news.” Rockefeller had learned to consistently focus on what he wanted - "the goal.”

For example, years later, when the government decided to try and break up his Standard Oil "monopoly,” John D. refused to worry. He delegated the problem to his attorneys and spent his time having fun with his family, playing golf with his friends and staying focused on his goals.

In 1911, the lawyers lost

his case. The Supreme Court ruled to break up his privately held Standard Oil Trust into dozens of smaller, publicly held companies. The government thought they had beaten Rockefeller. But, in his usual manner of "ignoring bad news,” John D. refused to let it bother him. He pressed "forward towards the goal.”

And, in the end, he won. Rockefeller wasn't punished at all, because he was now the major stockholder in thirty-three different companies. In a few short years, he tripled his net worth to achieve his goal of becoming the first billionaire in history.

And what did Rockefeller do once he became the wealthiest person of his day? He spent his time having fun with his family, playing golf with his friends and staying focused on his goals.

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