We can only imagine what it must be like to be the top one-percent. Living wild lifestyles, with more money than you could even spend, and limitless opportunities are just the start of it all, but "success" is discussed more than it's achieved. The talented (and lucky) few who manage to break out have an amazing tale to tell.
For example, Tesla's and SpaceX's founder, Elon Musk.
Musk isn't from "old money," rather, the newest there can be. Since he was a young adult, Elon Musk has pioneered several different industries; notably those of the electric-car and interstellar variety. However, victory on such a grand scale doesn't come without opportunity costs.
Musk's family sometimes cite him as being distant; too invested into his work. Nevertheless, it appears to be who Elon Musk is deep down and the success is only evidence of his thought-processes.
Here's the REAL story behind Tesla's creator, Elon Musk.
Turning Tragedy Into Opportunity
As we mentioned beforehand, Elon Musk is a self-made man. Family members didn't give him loans to start, he had to figure it out himself. Born in South Africa, Musk found himself to be the target of bullying and harassment in his young age. Home wasn't much better either, as his parents divorced when he was ten years-old.
After all that, you'd be forgiven for having a hard time in life, but not Musk. Instead of folding his hand, he pushed forward to, eventually, getting into Queen's College in Ontario, Canada with his mom.
Even now, Elon Musk is estranged from his father, whom he finds to be "a terrible human being." We can't know exactly what his life was like all that time, yet, it was enough to push Elon into success, vowing to never be alone again. Shortly thereafter, Musk's first inventions began to roll out.
A Financial Friend
The younger readers may find this hard to believe, but the internet was devoid of any form of payment processing in the early days. No transactions could take place without mail or in-person meet-ups. Elon Musk saw the need for such a product and worked hard to fill that gap in the market.
Although it wasn't Elon Musk's first venture (Zip2), it would certainly be his most popular to date. Of course, we're talking about PayPal; also known as "X.com." He began it in 1999 and, just two years later, would sell it to eBay for $1.5 billion in common stocks of the company.
He could've just cashed his check and went home to live out the rest of his life (and his children's life) in financial comfort, but that's boring and doesn't make for a good story.
So, naturally, he decided to change the world once again...
Shooting For The Stars
Now, to the real 'bread and butter:' Tesla and SpaceX. These two companies are, by far, the most prominent of his businesses. Ask the average person who Elon Musk is and they'll probably mention Tesla or SpaceX in their explanation somewhere.
Tesla was incepted in 2003, following the start-up of SpaceX in 2001 after selling PayPal. Both SpaceX and Tesla remained under the radar of the average consumer for quite some time, excluding the first Tesla Roadster (2008) and later I.P.O's (initial public offering).
Today, it seems like Elon Musk has the Midas Touch, turning everything he touches into gold. Tesla's stock (as of the writing of this piece) is experiencing highs never seen before and SpaceX is planning trips to Mars, as well as commercial flights outside our own atmosphere.
What we see before us is a far cry from the child in South Africa. He is no longer a victim of his circumstances, but a conqueror thereof.