What an incredible achievement. The Falcon Heavy tore up through the sky like a demon. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about any kind of space launch. In fact, I might’ve been in elementary school when the teachers wheeled-in a cathode-ray tube on a cart for us to watch the space shuttle launch. Elon Musk is on a roll.
I admit that until very recently, I hadn’t paid much attention to the guy, or what he’s been up to. I think that’s because his passions (at least on the surface) have little in common with MY passions (real estate, the great outdoors, or writing about early retirement.) Cars, Rockets, and Cubicles? Not on my radar!
Looking deeper though, I think there’s some good nuggets of wisdom I can learn from Elon and his story so far. This past Christmas I used an Amazon gift card to snag a book that had been in my wish list for many months: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Pretty good timing that I’ve almost finished it, leading up to the “Heavy” launch, earlier this week.
An Elon Musk Kind of Childhood
What’s interesting to me about Musk is how his origins are so similar to others who have achieved mega-success. He had a less-than-happy childhood. He was a child of divorce. Often picked on in middle school and an introvert, he escaped to books and read himself silly, even resorting to the encyclopedia when he ran out of comics to digest. Every parents’ dream, right?
Maybe it’s obvious, but if you spend your childhood pining for something different, fantasizing about an alternate reality, I think that sort of sticks with you, even when you find yourself in an improved situation later in life. All that reading and introspection was akin to heavy bench presses for the brain, preparing Musk to take on monumental tasks as an adult.
Elon took his passion for computer programming from his roots in South Africa over to North America. Escape mission – successful. The rest of the story is pretty familiar. A successful software startup right out of college that foreshadowed Yelp!, followed by a huge hit with PayPal. Each step was a springboard to something bigger and more meaningful.
Musk’s Determination and Actualization
For Musk, finding a way to both save the planet, while also developing a means to escape it, became top priorities. Enter SpaceX (escape) and Tesla Motors (save.) And for kicks, he joined his cousins in starting up Solar City (save.) Ignore the recent flamethrower nonsense, and Elon has produced game-changers that make Steve Jobs’ accomplishments look trivial.
In some respects, Musk is what happens when you combine the best of Jobs with the best of Wozniak. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a reach. But I don’t recall Jobs ever coding any software…
Tesla overcame crazy odds to produce a significant volume of electric cars that today, beat the absolute snot out of any other motor vehicle on the market. They also beat other automakers in terms of “most expensive”, but have a resale guarantee that’s unique in the industry.
SpaceX has recaptured our imagination with its crazy ability to land booster rockets after initial launch, even at sea. Tell Musk he’s nuts, or, “It can’t be done” and then wait for it to happen. It usually seems to happen.
What Elon Musk Can Teach Us About Early Retirement
Imagine for a second if this guy all of a sudden said, “You know what? It’s been a fun ride. I’m going to hang it up now. Spend some time raising my five boys, ferry them around town on a bike trailer. Hunt for tadpoles at the creek.” You don’t get very far with this vision.
After all, Elon Musk thinks he’s Iron Man. Mars has yet to be conquered. Electric cars still represent a tiny fraction of the market. In short, there’s a crap ton of work left to do.
The only thing that would cause a Type-A genius like Musk to retire early is if he worked for someone else. Couple that with working in a job that doesn’t change the world, or at least, working in a job that doesn’t inspire passion.
Don’t get me wrong, working at Tesla and SpaceX, from what I’ve read, is as close to Burn-out City as a job gets. Employees will never outwork their CEO (Musk is Mr. 18 hours a day, 7 days a week “ON”), and it’s easy to be intimidated when you work for a mad scientist. You won’t pull the wool over this guy’s eyes.
Maybe, just maybe Musk would retire early, if it came at the end of a voyage to Mars. We might picture him relaxing in a hammock under a pink Martian sky, where the atmosphere has been reconditioned, or he’s simply inside a clear plexiglass bubble. Nah, he’d probably start to work boring into red rocky ground to see what geological treasures lie beneath.
How Elon Musk’s Journey Relates to Ours
What compels you and me to want to retire early is the powerful rational side of our brain that understands our limitations. What we want isn’t too far off from what Musk wants: control of our destiny.
For Musk, owning his enterprises and being the supreme “shot caller” enables him and motivates him to a relentless drive. The rest of us pencil pushers can only imagine that dynamic: A.) You’ve got massive resources at your disposal. B.) You actually know what the F you’re doing with those resources.
The lesson here, if there is a lesson, is that early retirement is bound to be more fulfilling if you can lock in on your passion and be in control of how that passion is executed. Writing a blog is a great example. No one else is telling you what to write. You don’t have a boss to proofread your content or pick the best photos. Maybe you have an invention in your garage you want to tease out and pursue a patent on?
Work Life Balance and Those Pesky Regrets
Even better, your family is something to be passionate about and pursue with vigor. Note that Musk is a twice-divorced father of five kids he rarely gets to spend quality time with. That’s the single biggest trade-off he’s chosen to make to pursue his dreams.
Could it come back to bite him at 95 while swaying in that hammock on Mars? Only he can answer that. And I won’t judge the guy, because heck, I’m a big fan and a believer in what he’s working towards. But I can tell you that for little old me, I’m pretty content to pursue some low-throttle ambitions in order to keep a good balance.
So you’ve heard it here first, folks. Cubert will start-up SpaceY in his garage, come Summer of 2019. Apologies for any shrapnel that lands in your yard, and loud explosions (er, pops) that could occur at any hour. Or wait, maybe a new bicycle design that’s more environmentally friendly and forward-thinking in design… Nah. I think I’ll stick to real estate. Smart.
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Great post as always. I think you defined him perfectly just add Iron Man to the end 🙂
Also, I tried to approach your statement about the Type-A genius and came to an interesting question. If we would leave our cubicles, start work on something we are passionate about and it actually helps people/environment and in this process, we work for ourselves would it release our buried inner genius?
That SpaceY project sounds interesting, can I join?
Very interesting question, HCF… I tend to think the genius is always there lurking, just maybe hibernating?
SpaceY recruiting begins in early 2019. Stay tuned.
Let me know too! 🙂
I’ve read quite articles about Elon and I was really impressed by his determination and courage. Did not particularly like the guy in the beginning but continued to follow him anyway as I was interested in buying TSLA , the stock. Had a chance to buy TSLA below $100/share but didn’t. To date, I still could not seem to pull the trigger. Just yesterday saw this article that TESLA may one day go up as high as $4000/share. Here’s the article if I’m allowed to post this link. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/07/ark-chief-catherine-wood-sees-tesla-stock-going-to-4000.html
Oh… I’m familiar with the stock story. Similar deal with Netflix way back in the day. Oh how I wish I’d hung on to THAT stock.
$4,000 a share? Insane. But entirely possible!
I was able to get in on Netflix around October of 2016 but sold them all out in October of last year. Oh, well! And you’re right about the possibility of TSLA going to $4000 one day.
Hey Mr. C. Like I always say, if you can visualize it, you can achieve it. We all just have a different vision and that’ s okay.
On a side note, how do you like myFinance as blog revenue source? I have been trying to get accepted as a partner since December. I got one response in early January saying I’m in the queue, but they are understaffed and can’t take me on with no indication if the wait is a month long or 10 years. No reply to recent communications either. Trying to decide if I should pursue other options or if they are worth an uncertain wait?
Tom
Hey Tom! I like MyFinance a lot. Keep at it – I’m sure they’ll want to partner with a fine blog such as yours. I think I’m lucky I got in when I did, based on the sound of things!
Low throttle ambitions work for me at this point in my life. When I was younger I had more of a desire to do something big.
As you said, only Musk will know if his trade-offs were worth it. I tend to think he won’t if he makes it to a ripe old age and has grandchildren he’s hardly spent time with. But perhaps he’s wired differently than most.
Nothing wrong with that, Mrs. Groovy!
I really think it boils down to the individual – his or her background, upbringing, and so on. I just get the sense Elon is as much talented as he is driven to prove something to some one.
If I could invite one living person to dinner, it would be Musk. The man is fascinating. I’ve heard him say that he learned how to become a rocket scientist the same way you learn how to do anything: you read a book. That goes to show you that the knowledge you need to crush your goals is available if you’re willing to find it. Musk’s amazing successes is making it hard for me to justify making excuses about anything I’m trying to do.
Hey there, Ty! I really like that idea. I’d probably invite another bright mind so I could hang back and observe. Maybe Tim Ferriss? I dunno…
I agree with you on that last comment — it is awfully hard to justify giving up on something with Musk casting a shadow that long.
Oh I so hope he’s in a hammock on mars at 95. Though personally it’s Tesla and his environment saving side is what I’m most hopeful for.
Right on! I’ve actually looked into Solar City just this past week. I’d be their first Minnesota customer apparently, were it not for the $16K price tag. Gulp. I guess I’ll stay content with my $55 monthly electric bill!
Love it!
That is why I say I will never retire! If a guy that sold paypal takes his proceeds and reinvests them and does bad a$$ projects like this then we should all strive for more.
It isn’t about doing nothing, it is about doing SOMETHING THAT WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT.
Great post.
Damn+Millennial!
Yes, I agree. Why retire when you have control of the situation? It’s not unlike a post I wrote around this time last year based on the documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”. He’s had 100% control over his restaurant for decades. Why hang it up even at 95? (He’s 92 now.)
Thanks for the kind words, good sir!
He could never retire early because he’s never had a job! He’s just ALWAYS worked on passion projects, which is exactly what early retirement (from traditional W2) is for us normal folks. So this actually reinforces the argument for early retirement (from the W2) for the rest of us. We have rockets to build and the dam 9-5 gets in the way!
NAILED IT! 🙂
I wish I could have said it so elegantly. I’ve used Musk as an anti-retirement argument for years. Great post.
Hey there, Keith! Thanks for the kind words! I’ll be in touch if my current accountant keeps sending me bogus fee statements. Seriously!
I never knew he made a cameo in Iron Man 2! I have been saying for years that he is the living breathing version of Tony Stark, and I am waiting for him to reveal his own version of the Iron Man suit soon! I know it’s on his mind haha.
Isn’t that nuts? I never noticed it either. But then, I only watched the movie once, on my measly 40″ screen at home. Did you know SpaceX is designing its own space suits to replace the clunky NASA ones? May not be Iron Man rad, but still a long overdue upgrade.
No REGERTS! Hopefully, that joke plays and if it doesn’t Google that phrase to see all the terrible tattoos haha
Love this article! You have to be driven to plot a course so few have taken. If you want to retire early or do almost anything amazing you have to be focused. After all that cubicle won’t abandon itself.
Ha! Did I make a typo there?!? LOL. Appreciate the kind words, Rocky. And I couldn’t have said it better than your last line – awesome sauce!
At a recent FIRE meetup, we were discussing the end goal for early retirement. For every individual interested in traveling perpetually out of an RV, there was another person (myself included) that primarily wanted the freedom to immerse their attention in a hobby or skill of some kind.
Benjamin Franklin retired from the printing business at 42, which gave him over 40 years to focus on his other contributions to society. Whether your muse is building rockets and flamethrowers or becoming involved in civic service, there are lots of great “anti-retirement” options (and examples) out there.
Hey, Aaron! Thanks for your thoughts. I love the Ben Franklin analogy. Despite the fact his reality is so far removed from our modern situation, in all truth, his path is one we early retirees (and aspiring early retirees) can relate to, and be inspired by.
Immersion into something you have a passion about is the key!!!