This Is the Only Advice from Elon Musk I Want You to Know

No, it’s not about productivity.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Elon Musk but even I can’t deny we all could learn a thing or two from him.

His success is off the charts. He runs four companies, is one of the world’s most visionary thought-leaders, and incredibly productive up to an almost superhuman level.

This isn’t about one of his productivity hacks. Not everybody can pull 16-hour workdays. And most people, including me, don’t even want to.

But what’s fascinating to me is his relentless drive, energy, and motivation. Imagine you had that. Imagine you’d hop out of bed in the morning ready to uproot trees. Imagine you’d be able to keep going despite numerous setbacks, failures, and everything else life throws at you.

Alright Mr. Musk, it’s time to lay it on the line — what’s behind it all?

You Need a Reason to Get up in the Morning

It’s easy for you to say that were you in his position, you’d be the same. If your life was as exciting as his, driving around in a Tesla and smoking blunts on the Joe Rogan podcast, you’d be up and running at 6 am as well.

Don’t be tempted to think everything always goes well for him. He has to deal with tons of adversity and obstacles.

When he wanted to buy rockets for the SpaceX project from his Russian business partners, they turned him down and made jokes about him. It posed a severe threat to his ambitious project and years of work and it would’ve been easy to throw in the towel. But instead, he forged a plan to build the rockets with his own company on the flight back.

So, what is it that gets you back up even after life knocked you down hard? What is it that makes you choose the hard path leading to greatness instead of the easy one leading to mediocrity? What is it that makes you feel alive instead of having life pass by you?

Let’s see what Elon has got to say.

“I think it’s important to have a future that is inspiring and appealing. There have to be reasons you get up in the morning and want to live. Why do you want to live? What’s the point? What inspires you? What do you love about the future?”

— Elon Musk

Musk dreams about an interconnected world and humanity as a multi-planetary species. It’s this vision that gives his life meaning.

Psychology experts have confirmed that purpose and meaning are cornerstones of happiness, flow, and a life well-lived. They’re associated with biological and psychological health benefits and keep you going even at old age.

Musk is driven by the meaning he found in his work. It’s what keeps me going as well. I’ve ditched the corporate career to become a writer because I see meaning in it. I’m not solely motivated by money or status but by impacting people’s lives and doing something I believe in. It’s an indescribable feeling, filling the hollow void inside of you. You’ll finally have an answer to the plaguing question of what you’re doing on this earth.

Most people have no idea what their life is about. But why? How can something so essential to our very existence as purpose be so rare and hard to find? Why haven’t you found yours yet?

Because you’re clouded by noise. You’re surrounded by a thick fog of expectations from your family, friends, and society. And even if they don’t voice these expectations, you still walk the trodden path and make yourself fit into a box without knowing it.

You slide into it slowly. You attend college, get a stable job, climb the corporate ladder, buy an apartment or house, and achieve more and more. But you never ask yourself what for. You do what’s convenient, become complacent, and give in to distractions. You live a mediocre life, although it could be so much more. And the deeper you get into it, the harder it will be to climb out.

You can make it a difference that you have lived. You can matter. But you have to wake up.

I don’t ask you to flush everything you have down the drain, quit your job tomorrow, and emigrate to Africa to help starving children. I know you’ve got responsibilities and can’t throw them all out the window.

All I’m saying is that if you keep going without a clear direction, the crushing weight of meaninglessness will come down on you at one point. Call it a midlife crisis, an existential breakdown, or whatever causes people to leave their careers and go on a sabbatical year to find themselves.

I’ve spent years on studies and work that didn’t fulfill me, and I’ll tell you this: Life is incredibly short if you waste your time, so get going.

Did You Even Matter?

“You’re not going to fix the world’s problems by yourself, but you can contribute and make a difference. And that feeling of making a difference is ultimately what’s most important for your own happiness and fulfillment.”

— Mark Manson

Research has shown that to live a happy and healthy life, you need values that go beyond your own pleasure and satisfaction.

You don’t have to pull a SpaceX out of your sleeve to make the world a better place. You can start small, without a ton of commitment, and see how things go.

Pencils of Promise was born when Adam Braun handed pencils to children desperate for education but unable to afford them. Today, they’ve built more than 500 schools all over the world, but it was this little gesture that kicked things off and made the world a better place.

Ask yourself what kind of future you’d like to see or what’s messed up about the world that you care about enough to improve.

Whether you volunteer at an animal shelter, upload educational videos to YouTube, fight climate change, or just choose the employer whose cause you support instead of the one who pays most. If you contribute to the world and impact other’s lives, you’ll know what having a purpose feels like.

You’ll still be tired in the morning, but you’ve got a reason to get up. The work will still be hard, but it’s meaningful. You’ll embrace and enjoy life instead of passively existing on its sidelines.

I’ve seen it play out in my own life up to a level I’d never thought possible.

I used to procrastinate. Now I avoid timewasters like social media so I can get more done.

I used to take toilet breaks to avoid work. Now I nearly pee my pants because I have to drag myself away from it.

I used to stay up late because my days didn’t fulfill me. Now I go to bed early because I’ve got something to look forward to tomorrow.

Life’s too short to do something you don’t support wholeheartedly. At one point, you’ll ask yourself “Did I even matter?”

And if you do want to matter, you’ll have to do something that matters to you.

I help men connect with their masculinity, create a meaningful life, and build better relationships by being more authentic. Sign up for my free 5-minute newsletter and become part of The Authentic Man tribe!

Need a practical guide to finding a reason for you to get up in the morning? Try these four questions: