When Elon Musk was once asked if he knew beforehand that his idea (Reusable Rocket) would succeed , he replied, “I assumed we would most likely fail in the beginning.” Pay close attention. he already knew that probable failure awaited them.
When we know there’s a 99% chance of failure in a project/ career, meaning almost certain failure, do we still try? Most wouldn’t. They refrain from attempting until they are 100% certain. But even with a 99% chance of failure, some still take the leap and achieve success, this implies what we and others can learn from this man. Revolutionary individuals like him are born only once every 100-200 years.
Today, let’s delve into how Elon Musk thinks and what sets him apart from us. If you apply even a single aspect of his mindset, you can steer your life in a completely different direction, regardless of your field of work.
1. Commitment
In September 2016, there was a severe storm in South Australia, with nearly 80,000 lightning strikes reported. This caused a complete failure of the entire electric grid, which supplied electricity to the entire state. Approximately 1.7 million people were left in darkness as a result. When Elon Musk learned of this, he tweeted that he could solve the problem in just 100 days. The government and some prominent businessmen were skeptical about such a quick solution. One businessman even questioned how such a massive project could be completed in such a short time. And he was right, because no one had ever completed such a large project in such a short time before, neither the government nor anyone else.
Then Elon Musk tweeted again, saying, “If we can’t install this system within the next 100 days from the signing of the contract, I will provide the entire 100 MV system to Australia for free.” This commitment could have cost Elon Musk $50 million. Imagine, within 100 days, people couldn’t even build their own homes. Could they accomplish such a massive task in such a short time? Obviously, he’s Elon Musk. He completed the task, and that too in just 60 days.
On one hand, there are people who struggle with daily commitments, often failing to fulfill promises to themselves like waking up early, studying for an hour, or exercising. And on the other hand, there are individuals who publicly commit to significant tasks and actually accomplish them.
It’s not necessary to take on big actions all at once, but even small commitments should be fulfilled. So, stay motivated and work consistently. It’s better to work consistently for 4 hours every day for four days than to work intensely for 10 hours for just four days. Because consistency in actions yields results, not just intensity for 2-4 days.
2. Power of Self Education
Elon Musk once sought help from Peter Thiel for funds, who had previously worked with Musk during the PayPal days. Peter Thiel came to meet him and expressed interest in investing in SpaceX before saying, “I want to talk to the Chief Engineer of SpaceX.” Musk replied, “You are speaking to the Chief Engineer of SpaceX right now.” Thiel thought Musk was joking, but when he realized that Musk himself was the Chief Engineer of SpaceX, he was amazed. How could Musk have learned so much about rocket science so quickly? Many people also wonder how someone without an engineering degree could achieve such feats in rocket science. Normally, people think that only someone with a PhD or some significant degree after years of study can understand rocket science. But the truth is, Elon Musk has demonstrated extraordinary learning abilities by accomplishing all this without any fancy degrees.
There’s a proverb that people usually say, “This is not rocket science,” meaning it’s used to explain the difficulty of something. Rocket science is considered the toughest job, requiring the most brainpower. And this is exactly what Elon Musk learned by himself, establishing SpaceX. You might be surprised to know that he didn’t pursue any degree or formal education in rocket science. He simply studied physics books in school like any normal kid and then learned everything else on his own by reading books. In addition, his company Tesla hires employees without degrees if they are capable enough. Elon Musk says that you don’t need to depend on school to learn; only 1% of what you need to learn is taught in school. The remaining 99% of what you need to know to succeed in the outside world, you have to learn on your own. So, no matter what field you’re in, read books—psychology, philosophy, biographies, and more. Many people take books lightly, but when you read a few books, you’ll realize the dangerously high level of wisdom you’ve been missing out on. If you can’t afford to buy books, you can find free PDFs on the internet. If you can’t do that, there are book summaries available. Every platform, from YouTube to Google, is filled with useful information. Knowledge from around the world is freely available today. All it lacks are eager learners.
3. Passion
In 1995, when Elon Musk started his first company, Zip2, he was in debt of $100,000. This means that if Zip2 had failed, his debt could have doubled.
After that, he shifted his focus to creating reusable rockets at SpaceX. Reusable rockets refer to rockets that can return to Earth and be reused. This had never been done before worldwide. Not only did people not support his idea, but many made fun of it. Musk worked day and night, and by 2006, his rocket was ready. However, within 37 seconds of the launch, the entire rocket would fail. All the hard work of four years would go to waste. A year later, he tried again and failed. The third attempt also failed. After failing three times, in September 2008, Musk used all the money he had earned from PayPal, borrowed from friends, and even sold his house, shifting to a rented apartment. All this was for the final launch. And that final launch was successful. If it hadn’t been successful, Musk would have been in a dire financial situation.
He is so passionate about his work that failure doesn’t deter him. Musk says, “Success is not just about becoming rich; it means doing a job very well that you love from the heart and can think about day and night. But if you are doing something you don’t like and fail at it, you will be demotivated. But if you are doing something you like, you will keep doing it repeatedly because failure doesn’t matter to you in that. So, you have to find something that interests you. Besides, you have to work hard with the thought that you can fail in it, and that’s okay because I have failed many times myself. But I am here today because I liked what I was doing. I learned space science on my own. So, if you want to be successful, do what you are passionate about”.
Whatever interests you, do it in life, whether you do it full-time or part-time. Do your passion wholeheartedly. And if you can’t do that, then be passionate about whatever you are doing. Choose one of the two. Everything will change because it’s all about your attitude, how you think about your work.
Wow …it is not only motivational and success story of any other person its generate the self confidence about your passion