Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

Elon Musk, a renowned entrepreneur, experienced a life of pain and learned to survive it as a child growing up in South Africa. At twelve, he was taken to a wilderness survival camp called Veldskool, where he was encouraged to bully and punch others. Elon, who was small and emotionally awkward, was beaten up twice and lost ten pounds. The boys were divided into two groups and told to attack each other. Elon’s second visit to Veldskool was at about sixteen when he learned judo and realized that punching someone hard in the nose would prevent them from coming after him again.

Walter Seff Isaacson is a prominent American novelist, journalist, and academic. He has held the positions of president and CEO at the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan institution focused on policy studies located in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he has served as the chair and CEO of CNN, as well as the editor of Time magazine. 

1. Learn Constantly: Musk is a voracious reader and believes in the power of continuous learning. He advocates for gaining knowledge across various disciplines to understand the world better.
2. Embrace Failure: Musk has faced numerous challenges and setbacks, but he views failure as necessary for innovation and growth. Learning from mistakes is integral to making progress.
3. Think Long-Term: Musk is known for focusing on long-term goals, particularly those that benefit humanity. He encourages others to examine the long-term consequences of their activities rather than only the short-term advantages.
4. Take Risks: This lecture emphasizes the significance of calculated risk-taking for entrepreneurs. By definition, innovation necessitates venturing into the unknown. It entails defying traditions and betting on your vision even when the odds appear stacked against you. It’s about seeing risk as a friend, not a threat. Musk has taken significant risks throughout his career, from founding SpaceX to investing heavily in electric vehicles at Tesla. He stresses the significance of taking reasonable risks in order to attain significant goals. 
5. Focus on Impact: Musk is driven by a desire to impact the world positively. He encourages people to work on projects that have the potential to bring about significant change and benefit society as a whole.
6. Work Hard and Smart: Musk is known for his intense work ethic. He believes in working long hours and being highly productive. However, he also emphasizes the importance of working smart and efficiently.
7. Be Persistent: Musk’s success is often attributed to his persistence and determination. He has overcome countless trials and disappointments while remaining committed to his ambitions.
8. Question the Status Quo: Musk challenges conventional thinking and is unafraid to question the status quo. He encourages others to be innovative and explore unconventional solutions to problems.
9. Surround Yourself with Great People: Musk understands the value of having a competent and dedicated crew. He believes in surrounding himself with smart, capable people that share his goal.
10. Have a Vision: Musk is known for his ambitious visions for the future, from colonizing Mars to revolutionizing transportation. A clear and compelling vision can provide direction and motivation in personal and professional pursuits. A clear personal vision, such as Elon Musk’s ambition of creating humanity multi-planetary, can be a motivating driver for success.

Elon Musk’s upbringing and early experiences at Veldskool are quite intense and offer insight into his resilience and adaptability in challenging environments. His encounters with bullying and survival training at a young age seem to have shaped his mindset and approach to adversity. These experiences likely contributed to his later ability to navigate and persevere through the difficulties he faced in his entrepreneurial journey. It’s a reminder of how early life experiences can influence one’s outlook and determination in adulthood.

4.7 out of 5 out of 15,852 ratings

If you like reading this, please like and share my page, DIARYNIGRACIA PAGE. Questions or suggestions, send them to diarynigracia@gmail.com You may also follow my Instagram account featuring microliterature, visit DIARYNIGRACIA INSTAGRAM.

READ MORE AND SHARE!

2023 Your Practical Wedding Guide 

Investments and Finance Ultimate Guide 

Your Ultimate Access to Kuwait Directories in this COVID-19 Crisis 

Poetry Books: Anthology 

A Devotional Journal: Thankful from Within 

A Devotional Journal: Healing with Hope as Life Goes On 

Global Filipino Blogger

A multi-award-winning blogger and advocate for OFWs and investment literacy; recipient of the Mass Media Advocacy Award, Philippine Expat Blog Award, and Most Outstanding Balikbayan Award. Her first book, The Global Filipino Bloggers OFW Edition, was launched at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait. A certified Registered Financial Planner of the Philippines specializing in the Stock Market. A recognized author of the National Book Development Board of the Philippines. Co-founder of Teachers Specialist Organization in Kuwait (TSOK) and Filipino Bloggers in Kuwait (FBK). An international member of writing and poetry. Published more than 10 books.  Read more: About DiaryNiGracia