elonology.com

Tag: Personal Development

  • Be a Voracious Reader

    Elon, like many highly successful people, is a voracious reader and learner.

    Elons knowledge impresses because he has read and listened to so much content over the course of his life.

    “You don’t know what you don’t know. You realize there are all these things out there.“

    One of the reasons Elon prefers reading to listening to content is because “Reading has a faster bit upload rate.“

    AKA you can consume more information by reading than you can by listening.

    Elon was an especially excellent reader in his youth and his excessive knowledge is proof he continues his information.

    Musk spent his childhood with his nose in a book. He read every book in the library then read the Encyclopaedia Britannica from cover to cover.

    They’d kick him out of the book store sometimes for being there reading for so long.

    If you want to know what you don’t know it’s a good idea to read up.

    On a reddit AMA (Ask me Anything) Elon shared thoughts about learning:

    “I think most people can learn alot more than they think they can.”

    To learn more you need to read more.

    One way I have been able to read more is by setting a daily page goal of 10 pages.  Often times I will read more than 10 pages and by ensuring I hit my goal of 10 pages a day keeps me learning more every day.

    Another reading strategy I use is by keeping an active “Books To Read” list in my Google Keep app.  The way I work with my list is to sort the list with the books I believe to be the most valuable at the top of the list.  Then when it’s time for a new book I simply buy – or borrow from the library – the books at the top of the list.

    Having a couple of books on the go at a time can help you stay engaged and eager to continue achieving your daily goal of reading 10+ pages.

    It’s also important to re-read the best books you have ever read from time to time to refresh your mind with their powerful knowledge.

  • Use What You Have, Do What You Can

    Within the space of a decade Elon went from being an immigrant to the United States, sleeping in his office and showering at the YMCA, to being a dot com multi-millionaire taking delivery of a million dollar McLaren Supercar.

    Elon used what he had, did what he could, and it worked for him.

    “At the beginning we had one computer which would be the web server during the day and then at night I’d program on it.  And we’d sleep in the office.

    It was cheaper to rent the office than to rent an apartment so we just rented the office and slept in the office and showered at the YMCA.”

    Elon was born in South Africa but it didn’t stop him from moving to Canada, and then to America and Silicon Valley to be a part of the dot com boom.

    Maybe you are starting out from a humble beginning.  When I started my first online website I started it from my bedroom while in University and living at home with my parents…

    Yet despite my humble beginning I grew my blog into a success to the tune of thousands of visitors a day.

    If you have a laptop and an Internet connection a world of awesome potential awaits you.

    Dream big, work hard and act boldly, because these days more than ever: When there is a will there often is a way.

  • What’s The Worst That Could Happen?

    What’s The Worst That Could Happen?

    From Oranges to Starships: A Strategy From Elon’s Startup

    When Elon was first starting out in business in the USA, he lived on $1 per day to alleviate some of the financial worry that comes with having a new business that is in the pre-profitability stage.

    He ate a lot of oranges and hot dogs during those days, he claims.

     “I figured if I could live off a dollar a day then, at least from a food stand point, it’s pretty easy to earn $30 a month.”

    Elon didn’t do it because he was poor. He did it to see if he had what it takes to lead life as an entrepreneur.

    Since he was successful with this experiment he knew that money wouldn’t be an issue if he could keep his budget tight.

    By experimenting with what it actually felt to be poor Elon realized he could do it if he had to.

    And this helped give him extra confidence so he could go all in and win.

    Note about the pic: Elon and Kanye are friends. Ye posted “When you go to your boys house and you’re both wearing orange.“

    Fun Fact: Elon owned etymology.com also features the Orange emoji.

    Alleviate Stress and Focus on Success

    By not having to worry about the cost of food Elon was able to pour more energy into his business without the burden of stress.

    In an interview with Engineering dot com Elon said:

    “It’s relatively easy to start a company, you just need to get a few like minded people with you and then focus on creating a prototype,a compelling prototype, as soon as possible…

    And then there’s a strong venture capital industry in this country that will give you funding to take things to the next level and that’s all there is to it…

    You may or may not succeed but sometimes I think people fear starting a company too much. You have to say really what’s the worst that could go wrong?

    You’re not going to starve to death, you’re not going to die of exposure, what’s the worst that could go wrong?“

    Business is not usually anywhere as risky as jumping out of a plane.

    Having a budget and tracking your inflow and outflow of capital will help you eliminate potential financial stressors and gain greater clarity around the important tasks you need to complete for your business to succeed.

    By evaluating the worst that could go wrong you can plan for the worst and find motivation to do the hard work needed to help ensure your outcome is positive.

  • Be Ready to Learn New Skills

    Be Ready to Learn New Skills

    Unlock Your Potential: Stop Limiting Yourself and Start Learning

    Don’t let what you don’t know stop you from tackling important endeavors and don’t be afraid to develop new skills.

    Elon never owned a car company before, but that didn’t stop him from joining the very early Tesla team and becoming a driving force.

    Elon was never a rocket scientist, but that didn’t stop him from starting SpaceX.

    There are plenty of books out there and there is more information readily available than ever before so set your sights high because there is a world of information available online and the potential to turn your wildest dreams into reality has never been greater.

    Never limit yourself.  

    Propel yourself to greatness and don’t let self-doubt stop you from realizing your most powerful potential.