The Wealthiest People of All Time: No1. John D. Rockefeller

Hello friends!

I am excited today. Excited because today we start a new series - the series of the wealthiest people in history. Initially, I could only lay my hands on the richest Americans in history, but eventually found out about this short list of the wealthiest men of all history.

So today we start with the richest one of them. His name might not surprise you. He is John D. Rockefeller, and you can see him on the photo to the right. His net worth adjusted for inflation is $325 billion in contemporary money. Well, all I can say is wow! How did Rockefeller make all this money? I am sure he had some good chance and fortune, but the main reasons behind a person's success are hidden in his attitude towards life and his habits. You can read all about Rockefeller's biography here. A few interesting facts about him that I would like to point out are that he abstained from alcohol and tobacco and he was a devoted philanthropist. I am sure that his healthy lifestyle allowed him to live to 97 years old and his emphasis on giving helped him accumulate wealth.

Now, let's look at a selected quotation by Rockefeller:

I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything.

This statement is very good advice for start-up entrepreneurs. You might have all the right ingredients for success, such as being in the right business and using the right tactics, but you will never succeed, unless you have the right people. And when selecting the right people it would be incredibly useful to follow Rockefeller's advice - always give priority to people with enthusiasm over people with knowledge. Why? Because the people with knowledge usually tend to focus on how and why a thing can't be done, thus impeding the work of everyone. The enthusiast, on the other hand, focuses on how to do something and his enthusiasm attracts to him the right knowledge - the knowledge necessary to do it. And again, if you doubt what I am saying, suffice it not that the person behind this words is the richest man in history. His achievements should be proof enough that his strategy is successful.

So, this is it for today's first entry into the Wealthiest Men in History series. We will continue tomorrow with Number 2. See you then!