Elon Musk is an engineer by trade and a business genius in his own right. After co-founding PayPal with Peter Thiel and Max Levchin in 1998, he founded SpaceX, revolutionising the aerospace industry while making space exploration more affordable for everyone. His work at Tesla Motors led him to pioneer electric vehicles more than 15 years before it would otherwise have been feasible; at one point, he owned all of the company.
He is rumoured to be working on several more companies, with his most current side project being HyperLoop – a new mode of transportation that will revolutionise commuting throughout the country. Through it all, he has remained an outspoken proponent for reducing global warming through sustainable energy creation.
In this blog post, we look at some famous quotes from Elon Musk and implement them in different aspects of our lives.
1. Ignore the naysayers and keep pushing forward
“I’m living proof that you can do pretty much anything you want if you’re willing to put in an absurd amount of hours and generate a ridiculous amount of passion and intensity around it.” — Elon Musk.
When faced with adversity, we tend to either quit or accept our lot in life. Elon Musk faced many such challenges on his road to success, yet he overcame all of them with determination and patience. If we learn how to ignore the naysayers in our own lives, finding success wouldn’t seem so difficult after all.
2. Be different
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.” — Elon Musk.
Many of us don’t try new things because they appear difficult, an illusion that is created by our minds. If we were to change the way we perceive certain situations, for example, rather than view public speaking as something inherently terrifying, instead think of it as a challenge that you’ve never tried before or an opportunity to learn something new; you’ll realise that it isn’t as hard as it seems.
3. Take risks but not unnecessary ones
“It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.” — Elon Musk.
If there is only one lesson that you would like to take away from this article, it should be this. Although Elon Musk was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he is one of today’s most successful entrepreneurs. Of course, it helps that he has control over three multi-billion-dollar companies, but even if we don’t have any stakes in massive corporations, we can still control our own lives. If something you are doing isn’t working out, switch to something else or try out a new idea altogether.
4. Don’t be afraid of the future
“It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.” — Elon Musk.
Human beings are naturally afraid of the future because we don’t know what to expect. Our emotions and thoughts can affect our decisions in such a way that we sometimes overlook the obvious opportunities right under our noses. If something isn’t working out, switch to something else or try out a new idea altogether. Even if you don’t feel confident enough to take on a new challenge, do it anyways. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it.
5. Pursue a passion even if there is no money in it
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.” — Elon Musk.
Elon Musk pursued a career in the renewable energy sector when oil was trading at an all-time high. Although many people feared for their financial stability, he did not let this affect his decision-making process and instead focused on following his passion. It is important to note that even though there were no guarantees of success, Elon Musk was determined to see things through.
6. Don’t be afraid to dream big
“What matters is the rate of change, not the pace of change.” — Elon Musk.
Dreaming big makes all the difference in life. If we can manage to rid ourselves of self-doubt, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. Even if you fail at something, at least you will have tried. The problem with low expectations is that people tend to get exactly what they expect. If we adopt a mindset where success is inevitable, there’s a good chance to come our way sooner or later.
7. Be optimistic
“I feel pretty lucky. I like to think that I’m not insane.” — Elon Musk.
Persistence is the key to success. Unless you are one of the lucky few who have everything handed down to them, you will need plenty of hard work and dedication to see things through. Although Elon Musk is one of the most successful individuals alive today, he had his fair share of struggles along the way.
If you are persistent enough, you too can achieve anything that you set your mind to.
8. Make decisions quickly
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.” — Elon Musk.
It doesn’t matter whether the decision is trivial or important; if there are no immediate benefits of procrastinating, get it done. For example, although Elon Musk is not known for his rapid-fire speech, he has no problem firing his employees if they are underperforming. However, this only works because the decision to hire them in the first place was made quickly without thinking too much about possible consequences.
9. Have faith in yourself
“I think ordinary people can choose to be extraordinary.” — Elon Musk.
Without self-confidence, there is very little chance of success. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise if you have dreams and goals that you want to accomplish. Even if your close friends and family doubt your abilities, ignore them and carry on doing what you love.
10. Spend your time wisely
“I think most people can learn a lot more than they think they can.” — Elon Musk.
With so many distractions surrounding us, it is important to manage our time as efficiently as possible. Although Elon Musk has been known to neglect his social life in favour of work, he believed that this was one of the key reasons behind his success.
If you can’t find time for yourself, look into improving your work-life balance. Although it might not be possible to spend all day playing video games or watching TV, at least try to take some time out of your day for relaxation.
“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.” — Elon Musk.
I hope that these inspirational Elon Musk quotes have been of some help to you.