"
title="
Quote
of
the
day
by
Elo
Musk
(AP
photo)
Success
te ds
to
look
i evitable
o ce
it
has
al eady
happe ed,
the
fi ished
compa y,
the
wo ki g
i ve tio ,
the
achieveme t
eve yo e
ow
takes
fo
g a ted.
What
usually
gets
left
out
is
the
ge ui e
u ce tai ty
that
came
befo e
a y
of
it.
Elo
Musk
desc ibed
exactly
that
u ce tai ty
i
o e
plai
se te ce.
“Whe
somethi g
is
impo ta t
e ough,
you
do
it
eve
if
the
odds
a e
ot
i
you
favo ,”
he
said.
The
quote
is
ot
eally
about
taki g
isks
fo
thei
ow
sake.
It
is
about
decidi g
what
actually
matte s
e ough
to
pu sue
despite
eal
u ce tai ty,
a
decisio
he
made
himself
befo e
fou di g
a
compa y
with
ge ui ely
lo g
odds
of
eve
wo ki g
out.
Quote
of
the
day
by
Elo
Musk
“Whe
somethi g
is
impo ta t
e ough,
you
do
it
eve
if
the
odds
a e
ot
i
you
favo “
Whe e
this
quote
actually
comes
f om
Musk
said
this
i
a
2012
i te view
with
Scott
Pelley
o
60
Mi utes,
discussi g
his
decisio
to
fou d
SpaceX
despite
havi g
o
backg ou d
i
ockets
whatsoeve .
“The
odds
of
me
comi g
i to
the
ocket
busi ess,
ot
k owi g
a ythi g
about
ockets,
ot
havi g
eve
built
a ythi g,”
he
said,
“I
mea ,
I
would
have
to
be
i sa e
if
I
had
thought
the
odds
we e
i
my
favo .”
He
the
added
the
li e
ow
quoted
eve ywhe e.
“Whe
somethi g
is
impo ta t
e ough,
you
do
it
eve
if
the
odds
a e
ot
i
you
favo .”
SpaceX’s
ow
ea ly
histo y
backs
up
exactly
how
eal
those
odds
we e.
Its
fi st
th ee
Falco
1
ocket
lau ches
all
failed,
ea ly
ba k upti g
the
compa y,
befo e
a
fou th
attempt
fi ally
succeeded
i
2008.
What
the
quote
is
actually
sayi g
The
co e
message
is
that
ge ui ely
impo ta t
goals
a e
ot
always
easy
o
safe
to
pu sue.
If
somethi g
t uly
matte s,
the e
will
be
mome ts
whe e
the
actual
cha ces
of
success
look
ge ui ely
u ce tai ,
a d
co ti ui g
a yway
equi es
eal
co victio .
No e
of
this
is
a
a gume t
fo
ig o i g
facts
o
taki g
eckless
isks.
It
is
simply
ecog isi g
that
low
odds
do
ot
automatically
mea
a
goal
is
impossible,
a d
that
mea i gful
achieveme t
sometimes
equi es
co ti ui g
to
wo k
eve
without
a y
gua a tee
of
success.
Why
impo ta t
goals
so
ofte
i volve
eal
u ce tai ty
The
biggest
ambitio s
almost
always
i volve
ge ui e
u k ow s.
Sta ti g
a
busi ess
mea s
competi g
i
a
ma ket
obody
ca
fully
p edict.
Developi g
ew
tech ology
mea s
solvi g
p oblems
that
may
ot
have
a
obvious
a swe
yet.
If
people
wait
u til
success
is
fully
gua a teed
befo e
eve
taki g
actio ,
ple ty
of
ge ui ely
wo thwhile
oppo tu ities
simply
eve
get
pu sued
at
all.
Why
pe siste ce
matte s
most
exactly
whe
the
odds
a e
low
Difficult
goals
a ely
p oduce
quick
esults.
The e
will
usually
be
failed
attempts,
u expected
obstacles,
a d
lo g
st etches
whe e
p og ess
seems
to
stall
completely.
Pe siste ce
is
what
lets
someo e
keep
lea i g
f om
those
expe ie ces
a yway,
a d
each
attempt
te ds
to
eveal
a
bit
mo e
about
what
actually
wo ks
a d
what
ge ui ely
eeds
to
cha ge.
Ove
time,
that
pe siste ce
ca
mea i gfully
imp ove
the
odds
of
somethi g
that
i itially
looked
u likely.
Why
p epa atio
matte s
just
as
much
as
cou age
Taki g
actio
despite
difficult
odds
was
eve
eally
about
acti g
without
a y
p epa atio
at
all.
Cou age
te ds
to
wo k
best
whe
it
is
backed
by
eal
k owledge
a d
eal
pla i g,
esea chi g
the
optio s,
u de sta di g
the
actual
isks,
a d
p epa i g
ge ui e
alte atives
fo
whe
somethi g
i evitably
goes
w o g.
The
goal
was
eve
elimi ati g
u ce tai ty
completely,
si ce
that
is
usually
impossible
a yway.
It
is
becomi g
p ope ly
p epa ed
to
deal
with
it
i stead.
Why
failu e
should
ot
always
be
ead
as
defeat
Failu e
ge ui ely
hu ts,
but
it
also
ca ies
eal
i fo matio .
A
failed
attempt
ca
eveal
a
specific
weak ess
i
a
idea
o
its
executio ,
a d
people
who
actually
lea
f om
that
failu e
te d
to
make
thei
ext
attempt
co side ably
st o ge .
This
does
ot
mea
eve y
failed
p oject
dese ves
to
be
pu sued
i defi itely.
Sometimes
failu e
is
a
pe fectly
legitimate
easo
to
cha ge
di ectio
e ti ely.
The
eal
skill
is
telli g
the
diffe e ce
betwee
givi g
up
simply
because
somethi g
is
ha d,
a d
cha gi g
cou se
because
the
actual
evide ce
ow
poi ts
somewhe e
else.
Why
ge ui e
co victio
makes
a
eal
diffe e ce
People
te d
to
pe sist
fa
lo ge
whe
they
ge ui ely
believe
i
why
thei
goal
actually
matte s.
That
co victio
p ovides
eal
motivatio
du i g
the
st etches
whe
outside
ewa d
is
sca ce,
letti g
someo e
keep
lea i g
a d
expe ime ti g
eve
while
othe s
a ou d
them
emai
doubtful,
which
matte s
most
p ecisely
whe
a
idea
looks
u usual
o
imp actical
to
eve yo e
else.
Why
pe siste ce
a d
stubbo ess
a e
ot
the
same
thi g
The e
is
a
eal
diffe e ce
betwee
dete mi atio
a d
simply
efusi g
to
accept
eality.
Pe siste ce
mea s
co ti ui g
to
wo k
towa d
a
ge ui ely
mea i gful
goal
while
still
lea i g
a d
adapti g
alo g
the
way.
Stubbo ess
mea s
co ti ui g
with
exactly
the
same
app oach
ega dless
of
what
the
evide ce
actually
shows.
Successful
pe siste ce
usually
i volves
cha gi g
the
method
while
keepi g
the
la ge
goal
fi mly
i
view,
a d
that
flexibility
ca
matte
just
as
much
as
shee
dete mi atio .
Othe
famous
quotes
by
Elo
Musk
“Pe siste ce
is
ve y
impo ta t.
You
should
ot
give
up
u less
you
a e
fo ced
to
give
up.””Failu e
is
a
optio
he e.
If
thi gs
a e
ot
faili g,
you
a e
ot
i ovati g
e ough.””I
thi k
it
is
possible
fo
o di a y
people
to
choose
to
be
ext ao di a y.””I
always
i vest
my
ow
mo ey
i
the
compa ies
that
I
c eate.
I
do ‘t
believe
i
the
whole
thi g
of
just
usi g
othe
people’s
mo ey.”
What
it
mea s
i
today’s
wo ld
Not
eve y
wo thwhile
goal
a ives
with
favou able
odds
attached
to
it.
Sometimes
the e
is
ge ui ely
o
ce tai ty
the
effo t
will
actually
succeed.
What
matte s,
i
the
e d,
is
decidi g
whethe
the
goal
itself
is
impo ta t
e ough
to
justify
the
wo k,
the
p epa atio
a d
the
eal
isk
i volved.
The
lesso
was
eve
to
bli dly
chase
eve y
u likely
possibility.
It
is
to
ecog ise
the
goals
that
ge ui ely
matte ,
u de sta d
the
actual
isks
clea ly,
a d
the
decide
ho estly
whethe
they
a e
wo th
the
effo t
equi ed
to
each
them.
