“I like to be involved in things that change the world. The Internet did, and space will probably be more responsible for changing the world than anything else. If humanity can expand beyond the Earth, obviously that's where the future is.” —Elon Musk

Lesson 1: Even the most unlikely goals can be achieved as long as you try.

Lesson 2: If the shortest path to your goal is unobtainable, finding a workaround then becomes the shortest path to success.

Lesson 3: Planning for your dreams is not enough, you must be willing to dedicate yourself to the idea of success.

Lesson 4: Perseverance is extremely important in order to achieve your goals. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Lesson 5: It is never too early to start planning the steps required to achieve your goals.

Lesson 6: Hard work and perseverance can be combined to achieve even the most unlikely things.

Lesson 7: It doesn’t matter where you take your inspiration from, as long as the lessons you take from it are the right ones.

Lesson 8: No matter how certain success appears, it is always in your best interest to have a plan B.

Lesson 9: It is important to take the time to notice emerging trends so as to best capitalize on them when the time is right.

Lesson 10: It doesn’t matter what the origins of a good idea are, the best ideas always rise to the top.

Lesson 11: In order to achieve success, you must be willing to make sacrifices in the short term.

Lesson 12: Sometimes to realize our dreams we need to let go and learn from those who have more experience than us.

Lesson 13: It is important to always know your limits and remain true to yourself first and foremost.

Lesson 14: Even when things appear to be going your way, it is important to never count your chickens before they’re hatched.

Lesson 15: At the end of the day, the perceptions of others don’t matter, you ultimately determine your own metrics for success and failure.

Lesson 16: No matter the specifics, interpersonal relationships are what truly lead a business to success or failure.

Lesson 17: Even in the midst of extreme success it is important to always have an eye on the future.

Lesson 18: When it comes to properly preparing for the future, the logical answer may not always be the simplest or easiest.

Lesson 19: It doesn’t matter what the field is or how closed off a marketplace may seem, all it takes is one right idea to turn everything on its head.

Lesson 20: When you know you are on to something, don’t be afraid to bet big.

Lesson 21: Forewarned is forearmed, once you are committed to a course of action it is important you learn everything you can and to never stop learning.

Lesson 22: Never have only a single pot in the fire at a time, always plan for additional eventualities.

Lesson 23: Set goals that seem extreme, you just might achieve them.

Lesson 24: Don’t be satisfied with what others would consider success, always keep striving for more.

Lesson 25: Be open to great ideas, wherever they come from.

Lesson 26: True vision is being able to take something that everyone else thought was a fantasy and see how to make it a reality.

Lesson 27: A quality first impression is worth taking the extra time and effort to create.

Lesson 28: A leader with a strong vision is important to the success of any new company.

Lesson 29: Think outside the box when it comes to utilizing potentially untapped revenue streams.

Lesson 30: It is important to understand the limitations of your product or service and do what you can to mitigate those concerns.

Lesson 31: Don’t be afraid to make unconventional choices if you know they are right for you.

Lesson 32: It is important to never underestimate the importance of brand name appeal and to never settle for less than the best.

Lesson 33: The future is everyone’s responsibility; it is important to take it seriously.

Lesson 34: Try everything you can, life is meant to be lived and the more things you try the broader your understanding of the sum total of life’s experiences will be.

Lesson 35: If reality doesn’t seem to be living up to your standards, don’t change your standards, change reality.

Lesson 36: It is important to have a clear vision for projects as they start and stick with that to the end even if other options have presented themselves.

Lesson 37: Success may not happen overnight, life is a marathon not a sprint, slow and steady wins the race.

Lesson 38: When you are in a position to be able to, it is important to always give back to charitable organizations.

Lesson 39: It is important to always consider things that other people do not as this will put you in league with the greatest thinkers in the world.

Lesson 40: Sometimes you have to take risks in order to bring about important changes. Always understand the risks of what you are about to undertake.

 

Greatest Lessons

I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.”-Elon Musk

When it comes to the life of Elon Musk, there are a wide variety of valuable lessons to learn, though without a doubt the most useful apply to following your dreams and believing in yourself.

Pay attention and act on what you see: Elon Musk’s rise to success didn’t happen because he was extremely lucky, rich, or even supernaturally smart. It occurred because as a young man he took the time to pay attention to the signs around him and determine what they were trying to say. He saw the way the wind was blowing and understood that the internet, renewable energy and space travel were going to be huge, then did what he knew needed to be done in order to ensure he was in the right place at the right time to take full advantage of what his insight showed him was just on the horizon. Being dedicated and hardworking is great, understanding how to apply those skills to achieve the best results sets the truly successful apart from the rest.

Roll with the punches: There were multiple points in Musk’s life, starting when he was just a small, beaten child, where he could have let himself be overwhelmed with the adversity he was facing and given in. Instead however, he picked himself up when Zip2 was going to be sold and did everything in his power to stop it. Then, when the company was purchased, he looked at what he perceived as having gone wrong at Zip2 in an effort to improve things at X.com. Then, when he was disposed at X.com, he used the opportunity to do something even more farsighted and amazing. Don’t let unexpected events get you down, use them as an opportunity for improvement.

Don’t be afraid to innovate: While at Zip2, Musk could have been happy selling services to established businesses, with X.com he could have been happy with its initial incarnation and never merged with PayPal. He could have simply bought a rocket from the Russians and been happy as merely a Tesla investor. Likewise, he could have said the California High Speed Rail System was good enough or that artificial intelligence will take care of itself. Instead, he saw systems in place in the real world that he thought needed changing and instead of altering his expectations, alter reality to suit his needs.

Work hard: Elon Musk is currently the acting CEO of two companies, worth over $1 billon. He is also chairman of the board of several more in addition to funding two charities and a project to change long-range travel forever. Hard work is the backbone of any type of success. As Musk once pointed out, if you work 100 hours per week while everyone else is working 40, then you will accomplish everything they can do in a year in a third of the time.

Find your true purpose: In 2001, when faced with close to a $200-milliondollar windfall, Musk formed SpaceX, not with the sole intent of building better, cheaper rockets, though that was part of it; no, instead he formed the company with the goal of reigniting the world’s fascination with space travel. That lofty goal is indicative of everything Musk does and it is important to find your own motivating factor if you hope to find success. Ask yourself what you are truly meant to be doing and then do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Don’t be afraid to pivot: While it is important to have a plan, it is also important to not stick to that plan with unyielding conviction and change as external variables required. This is what Musk did when he realized that the current cost of rockets was extremely cost prohibitive and again when the situation at Tesla demanded it. It is important to also note that when Musk pivoted he did so after careful consideration and after studying all the facts to determine the true best course of action moving forward. Pivoting is different than simply changing your plan at every little hiccup, it should always be a calculated move, not a rash, poorly thought out in-the-moment response.

Find your own success metric: When it comes to pursuing your dreams, it is important to have a firm grasp of what success or failure means to you, and not let anyone else tell you otherwise. For example, when Compaq purchased Zip2, Musk’s 7 percent share left him with 22 million dollars. Being a multimillionaire after four years of work and not yet 30 years old would be considered a success by most anyone on the planet; but not Musk. While the sale to Compaq was undoubtedly a nice side effect, Zip2 had ultimately gone in a direction that Musk had not wanted, and therefore he saw it as a failure. Only you know what your plans for the future are, which means no one else, regardless of how well off or respected they might appear, can truly say when you have been successful or not. Keep this in mind when apparent tragedy, or success, appears in life and never undertake a new plan without a firm idea in your mind of what will constitute success as well as failure; only then will you be able to truly chart your path to greatness.