People who do significant things in our world are always different from the masse! That is why they can make a huge difference. Their brains don't work like others. We can learn a lot from them.
I used not like Elon for a long time. But the more I’ve found out about him the more human he’s become and the more I like him. He says what he thinks and he’s honest and truly believes in free speech. And the knows the difference between freedom of speech and inciting violence and hatred. It’s easy to criticize and critique what others do especially those who are covered in the media a lot but unless you know a person on a close personal level it’s hard to know them completely enough to judge them
I can't think of anyone I admire more than Elon Musk. He is an original thinker who acts on his original thoughts and succeeds through sheer force of will. He embodies the Libertarian ideal in both his thinking and his actions. Whether you agree with him or not, he gets big things done. I would compare him to men such as Julius Caesar, the Prophet Mohammed, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, John D. Rockefeller, Robert Moses: men we may or may not admire but whom we are not allowed to forget.
Great posting Tim. Superficially I like him. He reminds me of the explorers and adventurers of days of empire, where to those of us in the West everything was new and undiscovered. He reminds us of the part in the Bible where Jesus teaches us to be like children (Matthew 18 and others). With unlimited amounts of money he is able to tap into the child-like view of the world, where everything and anything is possible if you think long enough about it.
As man he falls short, as we all do. His mistakes and failings are just a little more public than ours. Take Bill Gates as an example. Adored by some; hated by many - particularly India.
I think the issue is extremely wealthy people being able to play out all and any fancies that they have. In King John's time he became bound by the Magna Carta due to his antics, maybe we need a modern Magna Carta for all the crazy rich folk?
So much depth in this reply. I think the fact billionaires can do whatever they want certainly isn't great. I'll need to study the Magna Carta as it's not something I know much about. Any good resources?
The Magna Carta is one of the foundation documents of the Anglosphere. It bound King John and his powers as at the time the king had absolute power rather than the constitutional power we have today with King Charles III. One point made was that the king wasn't above the law of the land and so was bound like the rest of the barons and landowners by the rule of law. Wikipedia is actually a decent read as is Britannica Encyclopedia https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magna-Carta
It's interesting that us "common" folk have a continuous onslaught of laws, legislation, directives (EU), and regulations thrust upon us from up on high, including global international organisations and individuals but yet we have very little to curtail and bind their desires, ambitions and fanatasies. The best phrase I can think of that helps me to sum it up is this, "just because you can doesn't mean you should." This goes for a lot of the craziness we see today.
I don't know if it is compassion or just wanting to know my enemy. In my mind, Mr. Trump represents a dire threat to a democratic way of life. He represents all of the worst ideas held by many Americans. Not all of his supporters hold the exact same views, but if you support evil then you become evil yourself.
I worry about Trumps as well Edward. What nearly happened last time could have been far worse. I just have a gut feeling he won't get to run. That his past will come back to haunt him. I don't believe he is a good guy at all. I feel like he just wants to gaslight America for his own benefit.
Janet, I am so glad that despite you not liking Elon, you took the time to read this. It's a sign of open-mindedness.
People run for their phones over their dream because phones are designed to exploit our dopamine reward system, so in a way, we can'r help but become addicted to them.
I too have a strong dislike for Mr. Musk, but his comment about change is spot on. I think he is a racist due to his allowing far-right posts to live on X. Just be cause someone is very smart and does some great things - Tesla, and Space X - doesn't mean they can't be dead wrong about many other issues. Maybe he sleeps alone for many nigts is due to his being a self-center S. of B.?
Elon, by the perceptions of many, is an asshole and worse. It's what they expect based on their social media echo chambers. The reality though is that the masses have ALWAYS felt that way about anyone who has and will accomplish exponentially more than they ever will. He, also, will be remembered and be awed at the same level. That gap between perception (or even expectation) and reality causes many of those who will quickly be forgotten to become anxious, worried, frustrated, and angry.
Me? I'm mostly indifferent toward him. A stoic (in training) if you will seeking to learn to align myself to sage advice offered over the millennia that I already know the vast majority will never even attempt because they're too busy being poster children for the Dunning-Kruger effect.
One of the best comments I've read in a long time Leyton. Wow. And you're spot on. I'm trying to be more stoic but have a long way to go. What are you learning to get better at this?
Tim, really good question, and me too! "Learning" hopefully (for me, personally) implies some effort involving reflection and getting better at versus "doing" which leaves the question open to whether any traction or hubris is happening.
I seek to follow your and a few other blogs when I can, and I recommend you when the topics you cover are raised in various conversations ... so what I learn from that. Also, ...
My locus of control and my source of happiness is within me.
Got to have and be steadfast with my limits ... because the takers don't have any.
Pausing before responding to consider how I'll respond, if at all.
Remembering that toxic people do/omit things to try to create a reaction and in doing so make you one of their puppets/victims ... or as someone particularly adept at corporate politics once taught me, "He who loses his temper last, wins."
Some people HAVE TO be right, so whatever. Two of my favorite quotes related to that, that I seek to ingrain within me, are:
Twain: "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."
Burke: "Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."
Reminding myself, when needed, that ego and vanity versus taking pride in what I do can become a rat hole. Plus, like I've told a few people I've mentored, it's about what you bring to the table. There's no continuous improvement happening if you're resting on your laurels ... you may wake up one day to find others have left you behind in their dust.
I'll say what I believe to be true, and if I believe something to be true and share it, that means I've first done some research on it.
Hey Tim, strictly focused on books I suspect the more obvious ones would be Mark Manson's F*CK** books and Mediations (Marcus Aurelius). I'd add to that, As A Man Thinketh (Allen), The Art of Thought (Wallas) for starters. Plus, there's part of what I've taken away from leadership training books.
In the direct context of becoming stoic, not really. More about life experience, keeping an open mind (but to quote Sagan, "... not so open that your brains fall out" LOL), and having access to some really good personal and general mentors and coaches along the way.
Some of these thoughts are a sign of his inner anxiety and depression. He flits around too much and has never found stability. Some of his “dream” projects would not have worked without friends with lots of money, whom I assume he anxiously had to pay back. He’s incredibly flawed, but doesn’t pretend like the rest of the tech jerks. That’s why he’s loved.
I like that he bought Twitter, that he seems to have opened it up, that “he personally joined in” on spaces sometimes. I don’t like that electric cars cant go very far before needing a charge, OR that they are so expensive- and I don’t hear about a “cheap refit” for a my gas guzzling but dearly loved “Leisure Travel van” and I like that he spent some time in Canada so perhaps he understands Canadians a little bit.
I like that he bought Twitter too Carolyn. The "Twitter Files" showed that the previous regime were censoring all sorts of topics. Finally we have a place we can talk openly. Substack, thankfully, is good for that too.
I think that him allowing people to share what's happening in the world today and especially in places no one cares about in the past and the whole world was silent about in the last 20 years or so.
Everything changed when truth exposed to the public now.
Without media curation and buring the content of the opressed.
At least today the whole world knows about the double standards the governments have. This is a huge deal.
I think Elon contributed to the change of direction of one of the most silenced about topic in the last 75 years
This response spoke to me. I agree. Elon's form of wealth is a nightmare and I don't want to be a public hero because that comes with fame which takes away my privacy.
Tim, this is exactly what I’ve been telling to myself for years. In my early-20s, I wanted to be a public hero through politics. But even before I enterred that swamp, I had this realization.
I don’t want to live for history books. I want to live for myself, for my loved ones and for this treasured life that I am fortunate to live!
Hey Tim, here's an interesting thing about Tesla the company: It has an unusually low percent of shares held by institutional investors (43%, according to www.nasdaq.com). If the company has such a bright future, everyone must want in (Apple had 95% at one point). A year ago, I though that might've had to do with Elon getting distracted by his acquisition of Twitter so the Institutions (BlackRock, Vanguard, etc.) were running away.
Now, I think they might be on the side of the Big Tech watching Elon suspiciously because his views aren't aligned with their agenda.
I love his ability to think he can do anything. If more of us had this quality think how much more the world would benefit...
I'm trying to cultivate it Victoria. Is there a story about Elon that stands out for you?
People who do significant things in our world are always different from the masse! That is why they can make a huge difference. Their brains don't work like others. We can learn a lot from them.
Totally agree Yvon. Have you learned anything useful from Elon?
I used not like Elon for a long time. But the more I’ve found out about him the more human he’s become and the more I like him. He says what he thinks and he’s honest and truly believes in free speech. And the knows the difference between freedom of speech and inciting violence and hatred. It’s easy to criticize and critique what others do especially those who are covered in the media a lot but unless you know a person on a close personal level it’s hard to know them completely enough to judge them
This is deep wisdom. Thank you Bonnie. What's a recent thing you found out about Elon?
I can't think of anyone I admire more than Elon Musk. He is an original thinker who acts on his original thoughts and succeeds through sheer force of will. He embodies the Libertarian ideal in both his thinking and his actions. Whether you agree with him or not, he gets big things done. I would compare him to men such as Julius Caesar, the Prophet Mohammed, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, John D. Rockefeller, Robert Moses: men we may or may not admire but whom we are not allowed to forget.
Completely agree. What's funny about the stoics is that now they are seen as heroes. But people forget they were also bloody murderers too.
While I don't like Elon as a person I've learned a lot from him and certainly won't ignore him.
Great posting Tim. Superficially I like him. He reminds me of the explorers and adventurers of days of empire, where to those of us in the West everything was new and undiscovered. He reminds us of the part in the Bible where Jesus teaches us to be like children (Matthew 18 and others). With unlimited amounts of money he is able to tap into the child-like view of the world, where everything and anything is possible if you think long enough about it.
As man he falls short, as we all do. His mistakes and failings are just a little more public than ours. Take Bill Gates as an example. Adored by some; hated by many - particularly India.
I think the issue is extremely wealthy people being able to play out all and any fancies that they have. In King John's time he became bound by the Magna Carta due to his antics, maybe we need a modern Magna Carta for all the crazy rich folk?
So much depth in this reply. I think the fact billionaires can do whatever they want certainly isn't great. I'll need to study the Magna Carta as it's not something I know much about. Any good resources?
The Magna Carta is one of the foundation documents of the Anglosphere. It bound King John and his powers as at the time the king had absolute power rather than the constitutional power we have today with King Charles III. One point made was that the king wasn't above the law of the land and so was bound like the rest of the barons and landowners by the rule of law. Wikipedia is actually a decent read as is Britannica Encyclopedia https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magna-Carta
It's interesting that us "common" folk have a continuous onslaught of laws, legislation, directives (EU), and regulations thrust upon us from up on high, including global international organisations and individuals but yet we have very little to curtail and bind their desires, ambitions and fanatasies. The best phrase I can think of that helps me to sum it up is this, "just because you can doesn't mean you should." This goes for a lot of the craziness we see today.
What a great perspective. I will get reading tonight.
Hey Tim, what happened to this speed writing blueprint promise?
Did I miss it and it's too late?
I think my co-teacher Todd has ended this now as Black Friday is over. It was just a once off.
Yhm. I am asking because I couldn't find the the full price course as well.
The links makes customer's life easy :)
I don't know if it is compassion or just wanting to know my enemy. In my mind, Mr. Trump represents a dire threat to a democratic way of life. He represents all of the worst ideas held by many Americans. Not all of his supporters hold the exact same views, but if you support evil then you become evil yourself.
I worry about Trumps as well Edward. What nearly happened last time could have been far worse. I just have a gut feeling he won't get to run. That his past will come back to haunt him. I don't believe he is a good guy at all. I feel like he just wants to gaslight America for his own benefit.
Most people will panic to find a charger before their phone dies.
But won’t panic to find a plan before their dream dies.”
This quote speaks to me and begs the question- why?
I don't like Elon at all, but no one deny his relentless drive and ability to not care what anyone else thinks.
If we could harness 1/10th of his obsessive drive - imagine what we could achieve 🚀
Janet, I am so glad that despite you not liking Elon, you took the time to read this. It's a sign of open-mindedness.
People run for their phones over their dream because phones are designed to exploit our dopamine reward system, so in a way, we can'r help but become addicted to them.
I too have a strong dislike for Mr. Musk, but his comment about change is spot on. I think he is a racist due to his allowing far-right posts to live on X. Just be cause someone is very smart and does some great things - Tesla, and Space X - doesn't mean they can't be dead wrong about many other issues. Maybe he sleeps alone for many nigts is due to his being a self-center S. of B.?
Edward what I love is that you don't like him but you still read an article about him. That shows some level of compassion which is important.
Elon, by the perceptions of many, is an asshole and worse. It's what they expect based on their social media echo chambers. The reality though is that the masses have ALWAYS felt that way about anyone who has and will accomplish exponentially more than they ever will. He, also, will be remembered and be awed at the same level. That gap between perception (or even expectation) and reality causes many of those who will quickly be forgotten to become anxious, worried, frustrated, and angry.
Me? I'm mostly indifferent toward him. A stoic (in training) if you will seeking to learn to align myself to sage advice offered over the millennia that I already know the vast majority will never even attempt because they're too busy being poster children for the Dunning-Kruger effect.
One of the best comments I've read in a long time Leyton. Wow. And you're spot on. I'm trying to be more stoic but have a long way to go. What are you learning to get better at this?
Tim, really good question, and me too! "Learning" hopefully (for me, personally) implies some effort involving reflection and getting better at versus "doing" which leaves the question open to whether any traction or hubris is happening.
I seek to follow your and a few other blogs when I can, and I recommend you when the topics you cover are raised in various conversations ... so what I learn from that. Also, ...
My locus of control and my source of happiness is within me.
Got to have and be steadfast with my limits ... because the takers don't have any.
Pausing before responding to consider how I'll respond, if at all.
Remembering that toxic people do/omit things to try to create a reaction and in doing so make you one of their puppets/victims ... or as someone particularly adept at corporate politics once taught me, "He who loses his temper last, wins."
Some people HAVE TO be right, so whatever. Two of my favorite quotes related to that, that I seek to ingrain within me, are:
Twain: "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."
Burke: "Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."
Reminding myself, when needed, that ego and vanity versus taking pride in what I do can become a rat hole. Plus, like I've told a few people I've mentored, it's about what you bring to the table. There's no continuous improvement happening if you're resting on your laurels ... you may wake up one day to find others have left you behind in their dust.
I'll say what I believe to be true, and if I believe something to be true and share it, that means I've first done some research on it.
Awesome thoughts Leyton. I'm going to digest this again later today.
Any books you've found along the way worth reading?
Hey Tim, strictly focused on books I suspect the more obvious ones would be Mark Manson's F*CK** books and Mediations (Marcus Aurelius). I'd add to that, As A Man Thinketh (Allen), The Art of Thought (Wallas) for starters. Plus, there's part of what I've taken away from leadership training books.
Hmmm....read these already Leyton. Anything else?
In the direct context of becoming stoic, not really. More about life experience, keeping an open mind (but to quote Sagan, "... not so open that your brains fall out" LOL), and having access to some really good personal and general mentors and coaches along the way.
Some of these thoughts are a sign of his inner anxiety and depression. He flits around too much and has never found stability. Some of his “dream” projects would not have worked without friends with lots of money, whom I assume he anxiously had to pay back. He’s incredibly flawed, but doesn’t pretend like the rest of the tech jerks. That’s why he’s loved.
Great insights. Do overall do you like him and what his businesses are doing for the world? Or does he have too much power?
I like that he bought Twitter, that he seems to have opened it up, that “he personally joined in” on spaces sometimes. I don’t like that electric cars cant go very far before needing a charge, OR that they are so expensive- and I don’t hear about a “cheap refit” for a my gas guzzling but dearly loved “Leisure Travel van” and I like that he spent some time in Canada so perhaps he understands Canadians a little bit.
I like that he bought Twitter too Carolyn. The "Twitter Files" showed that the previous regime were censoring all sorts of topics. Finally we have a place we can talk openly. Substack, thankfully, is good for that too.
Of course I did. Mostly to do what you think is right instead of trying to please everyone around.
That is how you make real changes in your life and for others!
Wise lesson Yvon. Caring about what people think is tragic.
I love how you collected these very interesting and useful quotes in one posts and I love your comments on each even more.
My favourite quotes are 2,3,6!
Thanks Basma for the kind feedback. Are you an Elon fan?
I don't think so. But, I agree with him on some of what he says and some of the actions he takes.
What about his thoughts on free speech? Do you agree?
I totally agree with that one.
I think that him allowing people to share what's happening in the world today and especially in places no one cares about in the past and the whole world was silent about in the last 20 years or so.
Everything changed when truth exposed to the public now.
Without media curation and buring the content of the opressed.
At least today the whole world knows about the double standards the governments have. This is a huge deal.
I think Elon contributed to the change of direction of one of the most silenced about topic in the last 75 years
Powerful Basma and I agree. He free'd the birdy.
I especially love the first quote. I realized that I don’t need more inspiration, it’s just a form of “junk food” or “quick & cheap dopamine”.
I’ve been working on to make my daily actions help me work for the things I desire and I can be obsessed with.
Like online writing.
And honestly, Tim, your writings are like a fine kick in the ass. So thank you!
Great takeaways Máté. Anytying else you've learned from Elon?
Of course! One other key lessons from him is the perspective of wealth.
While money-wise he might be the wealthiest person on Earth now (on paper), he certainly does not have the wealth I desire.
The wealth of time and mental freedom.
I respect him for his dedication and achievements in human spaceflight but I certainly wouldn't want the life he lives.
Not everyone has to be the "hero" and "genius" of the world.
I want to be the "hero" of my own life. To live on my own terms, to treasure the time I spend alive and healthy and to work for my own mental freedom.
This response spoke to me. I agree. Elon's form of wealth is a nightmare and I don't want to be a public hero because that comes with fame which takes away my privacy.
Tim, this is exactly what I’ve been telling to myself for years. In my early-20s, I wanted to be a public hero through politics. But even before I enterred that swamp, I had this realization.
I don’t want to live for history books. I want to live for myself, for my loved ones and for this treasured life that I am fortunate to live!
"Don't want to live for history books."
Now there's an idea I can relate to.
Hey Tim, here's an interesting thing about Tesla the company: It has an unusually low percent of shares held by institutional investors (43%, according to www.nasdaq.com). If the company has such a bright future, everyone must want in (Apple had 95% at one point). A year ago, I though that might've had to do with Elon getting distracted by his acquisition of Twitter so the Institutions (BlackRock, Vanguard, etc.) were running away.
Now, I think they might be on the side of the Big Tech watching Elon suspiciously because his views aren't aligned with their agenda.
I think you might be right Denis. Did you invest in Tesla? I should have but didn't. But I own some through my Nasdaq index fund investment.
Same here - I hold QQQ.
Mine's a Blackrock ETF if I remember correctly. Very low fees.