Elon Musk: A Story of Ascension
Multibillionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk was not always the powerful business Tycoon he is today. Before the entrepreneur, there was the little-known story of an ostracized boy with a dream.
When people think of the future, what do they see? Do they see a world where we teleport from one place to another? Do we ride around in electric cars? Do we live spread out amongst the stars? To some, these ideas seem absurd. However, some of these dreams feel closer to reality than ever thanks to the vision and will of a dreamer named Elon Musk.
Elon Musk’s resume for innovation seems to have no boundary. The CEO of Tesla, one of the most revolutionary car companies since Henry Ford rolled out the Model T, and Space X, a private enterprise pushing the boundaries of space exploration, is no stranger to radical thinking and innovation. However, the story that made him into the success he is today is not one most billionaires share.
Elon Musk grew up as an introverted an awkward child in Pretoria, South Africa. He often felt ostracized by those around him. Maye Musk, Elon’s Mother, believed Elon was deaf for a small portion of his childhood as a result of his crippling introversion. No one ever could have realized the brilliant potential that laid within his mind. He was different. He was special.
Unfortunately, special scares people.
One fateful day, a young Elon Musk was sitting at the top of the stairs at the local high school he attended. Within minutes he would find himself laying unconscious after being knocked down the stairs and savagely beaten by a group of school bullies. Not one of these boys realized the potential of the visionary laying at their feet suffering from blow after blow. None of them knew how he would change the world, and before then, neither did Musk.
Ironically, this hate is what would lead Musk to success. He found the character that transformed him from a introverted little boy to a man both undaunted and unwavering who never refused his dreams. Because of the school drama, Elon began tinkering with computers. Before finishing his graduate program, he would go on to found PayPal. A company that revolutionized the banking industry. From there, Musk began working on any challenge humanity had not solved from electric cars and space exploration to tunneling, artificial intelligence, and solar panels.
“My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather commit seppuku than fail.” — Elon Musk
So what astronomically difficult thought process does Musk use to solve the world’s problems you may ask? In a recent Tedtalk, Elon Musk answered that question step by step. While most people, including myself, think that being a genius means thinking smart, Musk proves us wrong. Simplicity. That is the best way to describe the process. Musk takes a close look at the world and ponders what we need most. While most see a problem and immediately think about the big picture, Elon Musk takes a different approach. Beginning at the essential elements of the problem, he works through each small obstacle considering every possibility as a solution. Musk realizes that to reach a different outcome, we must do everything differently. The result? Some of the greatest technological breakthroughs in the 21st century. Has no one made a car that can sustain us through this century? Let’s build it! Why has no one tried to colonize Mars and make space travel affordable? It might be difficult, but why not? Has no one found a cheap way to mass produce solar panels? Easy. This is the Elon Musk way. He never sees a problem as impossible, he simply creates the solution.
A prime example of the Musk way is The Boring Company. Musk wants to drill a network of tunnels under Los Angeles and set up a system of high-speed rails to transport cars around the city to alleviate the traffic problem. When asked how much time he is putting into this monumental task he says, “I would say about 2 or 3 percent.” This difficult feat of human engineering is simply a hobby for Musk! Miraculously, he still has found a way to make the idea into a reality with the first tunnel already being constructed. He simply solves problems one step at a time with little concern for failure.
Musk has ascended to the height of human innovation in the twenty-first century. This is because he has remained undaunted and unwavering in resolve. His childhood bullying has given him the necessary resolve to transform his brilliant ideas into practice while being immune to doubt. Thanks to Musk’s great success, instead of receiving jaw-cracking punches, he is now hearing a roar of praise.
