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The basic unit of information for a human being is a story, not a number or a fact. So it doesn't surprise me that we're obsessed with something as trivial as h

The basic unit of information for a human being is a story, not a number or a fact. So it doesn't surprise me that we're obsessed with something as trivial as how Elon Musk's $1/day diet shaped him into an entrepreneur[1]. I don't think it's a bad thing to have a vague awareness of the things that make people successful: unafraid of failure, hard work & dedication, true passion about what you're creating. But I think it does actively hurt you if you overfit what causes success, because you focus way to much on getting the little things right that you miss the big picture. [1] https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/tesla-spacex-elon-musk-latest-zip2-technology-entrepreneurship-business-queens-university-a8274186.html https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/ne...

zeroname 8y ago
> unafraid of failure, hard work & dedication, true passion about what you're creating I would say those are in equal measure things that make people unsuccessful. You better be afraid to fail or you will follow too many stupid ideas. You can burn yourself out working too hard on the wrong thing. You can be really passionate about something that basically nobody except you wants or needs. Conversely, a lot of things that nobody really is passionate about can make a lot of money. I will also say that Elon Musk has not been successful in real business terms (creating a sustainable, profitable company) except that one time with PayPal and that could be down to good luck and timing. Nowadays, there's too much cheap and dumb money chasing too many "next big things", so it's hard to tell fact from fiction. In my estimation, success really comes down to: 1) showing up 2) timing 3) luck There's lots of people that are almost Elon Musk or almost Mark Zuckerberg or almost Steve Jobs. It's a gamble, but at least you get to choose which table to play on.

zeroname 8y ago

> unafraid of failure, hard work & dedication, true passion about what you're creating I would say those are in equal measure things that make people unsuccessful. You better be afraid to fail or you will follow too many stupid ideas. You can burn yourself out working too hard on the wrong thing. You can be really passionate about something that basically nobody except you wants or needs. Conversely, a lot of things that nobody really is passionate about can make a lot of money. I will also say that Elon Musk has not been successful in real business terms (creating a sustainable, profitable company) except that one time with PayPal and that could be down to good luck and timing. Nowadays, there's too much cheap and dumb money chasing too many "next big things", so it's hard to tell fact from fiction. In my estimation, success really comes down to: 1) showing up 2) timing 3) luck There's lots of people that are almost Elon Musk or almost Mark Zuckerberg or almost Steve Jobs. It's a gamble, but at least you get to choose which table to play on.