13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

“Elon Musk” by Ashlee Vance

What surprised me the most was the fact that he was that intelligent to create such a helpful product, he knew what the future needed in order to maintain a sufficient lifestyle.  His vivid imagination and extreme commitment allowed his dreams to come to life.

I admire the fact that Musk was extremely committed to his ideas and made his dreams come to life. From an early age, even as a student Musk knew that he wanted to solve humanity's dependence on oil and create a safer environment for the future. He never gave up with dream and was committed to go broke while trying. He faced many dilemmas and problems that slowed him down but in the end he kept pushing forward which allowed him to be as successful he is today helping our environment and the future.

I least admire that he was a big talker and promised things before he can make them happen. He would make promises and then takes years to come up with a solution. I think that a part of succesful you have to be humble and honest you shouldn't brag about the things you are planning to do instead shock the world with your brilliance when the product is actually developed.

The entrepreneur encountered failures on multiple occasions. Musk had very important decisions to make in regards to his financial status. He went from being a multi millionaire to living on his friend's couch because he couldn't afford to live on his own. He was starting to run low on cash and had to choice to support SpaceX or Tesla. In the end he accomplished what was thought to be impossible and was able to save both companies.

Musk had many competencies that allowed him to be as successful as he is. He was both an  inventor and business man  with a extremely big dream. He was able to deal with the insane amount of stress and still push his employees to do the best they could. Musk also was extremely committed to his product and spent blood, sweat and tears trying to get them up and going, even to the point where his family members were following him around because they thought he was crazy. From a young age he was determined to solve the use of gas to maintain and save the environment for the future. All of these competencies made him as successful as he is now.

The part of the reading that was confusing to me was the the fact that Musk had 5 children and worked 20 hour shifts a day without a Nanny but had a nanny manager. I thought this was extremely confusing because as determined as he is he should want his kids to be loved and have a good future just like him. In addition Musk mentions that he is worried that google is building a fleet of robots that will accidently destroy mankind. This is a confusing and scary topic to wrap your mind around, I would need to know more information about this to understand it fully.

If I were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur I would ask what sparked you to be so motivated and dedicated, you came from such a small town in South Africa and made it so far. I am extremely curious why you are so passionate about this and what led you to be this way. Another question I would ask is how do you deal with that amount of stress and still get up in the morning being as strong and dedicated as you are. I am curious what are your relaxation techniques that allows you to stay so calm and focused.

I think Musk idea of hard work is extremely difficult to the average person. He came from nothing and made so much out of himself pushing himself to the absolute maximum and using his brain to his advantage. I personally do not understand how someone could be so determined to do something so out of his reach but I applaud him for his hard work and contribution to society.