World’s wealthiest man, Elon Musk did not reach this title overnight. Just like everyone else, Musk has had his fair share of challenges in getting to where he is right now.
1.Musk Never Fit In Well In School
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Musk spent his childhood growing up in South Africa. His intellectual aptitude kept him distant from his peers and he didn't have many friends in school. While attending school he was also bullied, however he credits all adversity that he faced in helping him to grow. His loneliness founded his passion in technology.
2.He Dropped out of a PhD Program Just After 2 Days
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Musk is an intelligent man with an IQ of 155. He has two bachelor degrees and received a scholarship from Stanford to continue his studies for a Ph.D. In the 2 days he went to school, his mind was busy with all of his entrepreneurship ideas. He asked to be deferred to pursue his businesses thinking he would go back to school but he never did.
3.Slept On A Couch While Making His First Company
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Musk started his first company, Zip2 with his brother Kimbal. As they were just starting they didn't have much business in the early days. While waiting for the company’s performance to pick up, Musk said that he slept on his office couch because he couldn’t afford to rent a flat. The office was already a cramped space for him and his brother. Zip2 was then sold for USD 307 million.
4.Fired From PayPal While On Honeymoon
(Image: Business Insider)
PayPal is one of the 8 companies that Musk founded. As the company’s CEO, he made the decision to switch PayPal’s servers, but the rest of the company’s board didn’t agree. He was notified on his termination while en route to Australia for his honeymoon with his first wife, Justine Musk. He was kicked out to be replaced by Peter Thiel. The hurt from betrayal only motivated him more to start SpaceX and Tesla, he claims.
The moral here is to not give up on your dreams. In the face of adversity anyone can bloom. Elon Musk is proof of that and has said before that he worries if someone does not face enough adversity. Let’s just all persevere and we too, will achieve our goals.