13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

I decided to read about Elon Musk because I’ve been fascinated by him for the last couple of years, and given the fact that he just recently launched a Tesla into space, I wanted to learn more about his life and how he became the way he is.

1.     The thing that surprised me the most was that he read every book in the library and then proceeded to read a couple of encyclopedias. The thing that I most admired about him was that he set extreme goals for himself and even though there were naysayers, he stuck to his guns and accomplished his goals. The thing that I least admire is how he tries to push away his emotions. For example, after the death of his son he did not wallow in sadness and mourn. Elon Musk had several failures and setbacks but he always had a plan and overcame all the obstacles.

2.     I think Elon Musk’s core competency is being able to overcome challenges. He had several failed rocket launches and still persisted. He believed in his abilities and accomplished things that people told him he would never be able to do.

3.     I think I was most confused about why Elon Musk was so skeptical to have a book written about him, and why he wanted to read it and add footnotes before it was published.

4.     I would ask him where he got his work ethic from because there are a lot of people that wouldn't work 24/7 and would give up after a minute failure, but he didn't. I would also ask him why he decided to just launch a Tesla into space because I would never think to do something like that and I would want to know the thought process he had behind it.

5.     I think Mr. Musk believed that the harder you work on something, the better results you will see. He was working 24/7 at the office, so I believe that he values hard work and knows that he will benefit from it.