There is an interesting story about Elon Musk that can serve as an example of how he has gone from a small figure with a desire to work in space exploration, to one of the richest men in the world (and with almost one foot on Mars). In 2001, the 30-year-old Musk conceived the Mars Oasis, a greenhouse that could grow crops on Mars, seeking to spark public interest on Mars.
According to the account, Musk traveled with a group to Moscow to buy ballistic missiles that could send charges from the greenhouse into space. However, in one of those meetings with a company, a leading engineer spat at the businessman due to his little experience and little knowledge of the subject.
By that point, Elon Musk was a newbie to space exploration but not business. Being rejected by the sales, he decided to start a company that would create his own rockets. He took rejection and turned it into an opportunity. A valuable lesson and that serves as a step to talk about other habits of the millionaire that have made him the figure that he is.
Read like there’s no tomorrow
According to Musk himself, when he was a child, he read about 10 hours a day, devouring everything he saw in his library and he claims to have read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. We believe him as he often shares some of his likes and favorites, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and biographies of figures like Albert Einstein and Benjamin Frankilin.
Although his time is undoubtedly shortened now, he still pays attention to reading (plus he seems to find time to watch movies and anime).
Prepare to fail
“Failure is an option here. If you are not failing, you are not innovating ”. The man knows what he is talking about because, despite the advice of experts and many colleagues who told him that various ideas were doomed to failure (and which happened), he was able to learn from those failures as well as that, among all the failures there were a few hits. “There is enormous influence against taking risks,” he notes, stating that everyone seeks to protect themselves to some degree without trying to revolutionize. Failure is one step away from something different.
Pursue your interests
As an Entrepeneur profile highlights, Musk has been a self-taught since childhood, using his programming skills to create a video game that he sold to PC and Office Technology for $ 500, plus he graduated from physics and economics twice and began work for a research company for ultracapacitors and another for video games. In itself there is nothing that Musk has limited himself to and he has met all of his goals to get where he is.
Sleeping habits
We have already talked about the sleeping habits of Elon Musk, who told Joe Rogan that he sleeps about 6 hours a day and that he spends long hours in work meetings, resting until 1 or 2 in the morning.
The man could be proof of those who can sleep little and be productive throughout the day. Even Musk said that sleeping less than that is also not recommended because it reduces the effectiveness with which he works the next day.
However, there have been times when Musk deprived himself of sleep, taking only minimal rest to dedicate his time to a project. Only when necessary.
Dedicate his life to his work (with balance)
Everything we mentioned dreams that Musk has nothing but work and learning from him, but he doesn’t. In fact, according to a biography of the businessman, the man is partying to the end and there are stories ranging from when he turned a frat house into a nightclub, to when he played hide and seek on his 30th birthday (inside a castle). The man is the mix between work and fun.