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“There have to be reasons that you get up in the morning and you want to live. Why do you want to live? What's the point? What inspires you? What do you love about the future? If the future does not include being out there among the stars and being a multi-planet species, I find that incredibly depressing”
From childhood Elon dreamed of being involved in big things that would change the world. In college he determined that those three things were the Internet, renewable energy and space exploration. With the sale of PayPal in 2002 his goals with respect to the Internet had been accomplished. Elon Musk was now ready to turn his attention to the stars.
“In order for us to have a future that’s exciting and inspiring, it has to be one where we’re a space-bearing civilization.”
Elon’s original idea was to use refurbished rockets from Russia. In the short term he would use these rockets to launch satellites into space. In the long term they would be used to send miniature greenhouses to Mars as a first step in settling the red planet. He called this plan Project Oasis. Elon, his friend Adeo Ressi and Jim Cantrell, an aerospace equipment supplies fixer, flew to Russia to see if they could secure the use of Russian Rockets.
“When I was in college, I wanted to be involved in things that would change the world.”
The meetings with the Russian rockets companies, however, did not go well. None of them took Elon or his plans seriously. Jim Cantrell remembers one of the Russians held them in such contempt he actually spat on them
. Elon was forced to return to the US empty handed.
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”
Elon did not let this discourage him. On the flight back home he did some rough calculations and determined that he could build his own rockets at 3 percent of the cost of purchasing them from Russia. This demonstrates a universal law that you should be aware off. When one door closes, another typically opens. In this case the door to using Russian rockets had closed, but the idea of Space X was born.
“It you’re trying to create a company, it’s like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.”
If you’re going to build a company like Space X the first thing you need is good people. One of the first people that Elon hired was a man named Tom Mueller, who was a well-respected rocket engineer and designer. Elon met Tom at his home, where Tom showed him a homemade rocket engine he was building. Elon saw the engine and asked him one question, “Can you build something bigger?” With the resources that Elon was gathering for Space X, Tom definitely could.
“I don’t create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.”
The first 3 launches of the Falcon 1 rocket were failures. However, the 4th launch was a success and Space X was awarded a 1.6 billion dollar contract from NASA. Space X has endured many failures since then, particularly in its efforts to land rockets and reuse them. This does not bother Elon, however, as to him failure is part of the learning process. As he has repeatedly said …
“There’s a silly notion that failure’s not an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”
Seeing failure as a positive to be learned from rather than as a negative is one of the keys to Elon’s overall success. It also allows for moments like this.
(Falcon Heavy launch with boosters landing)
“I’m interested in things that change the world or that affect the future and wondrous, new technology where you see it, and you’re like, ‘Wow, how did that even happen? How is that possible?’”
Another principle from Elon’s success that you can apply to your own life is to start small and build from there. Elon began his rocket program with the much smaller Falcon 1. From it’s failures and successes Space X then built the Falcon 9 and now the Falcon Heavy. This process has allowed Space X to begin development on the BFR, which will be large enough to go to Mars. Making small improvements over the long term can lead to big results. This works for Elon, and it can work for you too.
Lessons to learn from Elon Musk and Space X
When one door closes another opens. Never be discouraged!
See failure as a positive teacher, not a negative. As long as you learn something from your mistakes, it’s a benefit.
When doing anything, start small and build from there. Small changes overtime can lead to big results.
If you would like to learn more about Elon Musk and what you can learn from him, check out our book on Amazon.
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