Elon Musk Says to Adopt These 7 Habits for Real Success
Some people move through life with an almost magnetic momentum. They try things, learn quickly, recover from setbacks, and somehow keep expanding their impact. Others with just as much potential feel stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about where to channel their drive. I’ve noticed this contrast in leaders, entrepreneurs, and everyday people who want to build something meaningful. The difference isn’t intelligence or luck. It’s the habits they choose to live by.
That’s why Elon Musk’s quiz advice around daily disciplines has resonated with so many ambitious thinkers. You don’t have to agree with everything about Musk to acknowledge that he consistently turns bold ideas into reality. And when someone repeatedly builds companies that reshape industries, it’s worth paying attention to how they think and operate.
In this article, we’re going to explore seven habits Musk encourages people to adopt that help you push beyond comfort, think more creatively, and approach your goals with a deeper sense of urgency and intention. As you read, I invite you to reflect on where these habits might already be present in your life and where there might be room for something new to emerge.
1. Develop an Obsession With Solving Meaningful Problems
One of the habits Musk talks about often—directly or indirectly—is orienting your life around problems that matter. Not just tasks. Not just career milestones. Problems that genuinely shift the future forward.
Here’s the thing: when you anchor yourself to meaningful problems, your work naturally gains depth and direction. I’ve found that people who focus on significance over convenience tend to pursue challenges with more persistence. They’re not simply chasing rewards; they’re creating impact. Musk has done this repeatedly, whether tackling sustainable energy with Tesla or rethinking space exploration with SpaceX.
What many people don’t realize is that you don’t need a billion-dollar mission to apply this mindset.
It can be as simple as choosing a project at work that actually improves something, or committing to a long-term personal goal with societal benefit. When your daily efforts are tied to purpose, discipline stops feeling like a chore. It becomes fuel.
2. Learn Continuously And Learn Faster Than Most
Musk famously treats learning as a lifelong, non-negotiable habit. He reads broadly, studies fields outside his own, and breaks complex subjects down to first principles. This approach doesn’t just expand knowledge, it expands possibilities.
I’ve noticed that when you adopt a similar mindset, you start approaching challenges differently. Instead of seeing them as walls, you see them as puzzles. And puzzles can be solved with enough understanding. Leaders like Bill Gates, Warren Buffettquiz, and even historical thinkers like Benjamin Franklin followed similar habits. They learned aggressively because they understood that the world rewards insight, not just effort.
Remember: continuous learning doesn’t have to be formal. It might come from books, conversations, documentaries, or simply observing how things work. The real habit is curiosity, the willingness to ask “why” a little more than most people do.
3. Increase Your Bias Toward Action
One pattern you’ll see in high performers is their aversion to waiting. They don’t sit on ideas. They test them. They build early versions. They make decisions quickly, even if imperfectly. Musk emphasizes this habit because action creates information. Every step gives you data. Every experiment teaches you something new.
The truth is, most people delay action because they want certainty. They want a perfect plan before the first move. But perfection is a slow teacher. Action is a fast one. Jeff Bezos has echoed similar thinking, saying most decisions should be made with around 70% of the information you wish you had. Musk pushes it even further, believing that speed matters more than polish in the early stages of any meaningful pursuit.
When you create the habit of acting—testing, trying, iterating—you start accelerating your own development. You find momentum where others encounter hesitation. And that momentum changes everything.
4. Build Thick Skin and Embrace Resilience
There’s a reason resilience keeps showing up in studies about long-term success. It’s not the people who avoid failure who win, it’s the ones who refuse to let failure define them. Musk has been very open about this.
SpaceX had several rocket explosions before a successful launch. Tesla nearly ran out of money. Most people would have walked away.
What many people don’t realize is that resilience is not genetic. It’s a habit. It’s formed through small acts of endurance, finishing something difficult, recovering from disappointment, or showing up again when it would have been easier not to. Over time, resilience becomes part of your identity.
In my experience, resilient people use setbacks as raw material. They analyze what happened, adjust, and return stronger. It’s not about pretending things don’t hurt. It’s about recognizing that pain and progress often travel together, and choosing progress anyway.
5. Surround Yourself With People Who Think Bigger
One of Musk’s most consistent strategies has been building teams filled with unconventional thinkers.
People who thrive on possibilities rather than limitations. The environment you immerse yourself in shapes your growth more than most people realize.
If you spend your time around people who avoid risks or cling to the familiar, your thinking will naturally shrink to match theirs. But when you surround yourself with driven, curious, solution-oriented people, your mindset expands. You start questioning assumptions, exploring deeper ideas, and elevating your own expectations.
History shows this repeatedly. The “PayPal Mafia” went on to launch or lead companies like YouTube, LinkedIn, Yelp, and Tesla—not by accident, but because the group pushed each other’s thinking. Great environments create great outcomes. If you want to grow, one of the most important habits is choosing your circle intentionally.
6. Practice Relentless Focus Even When It’s Uncomfortable
Focus is power in this world full of distractions. Musk has spoken about the urgency of eliminating noise and prioritizing what truly moves the mission forward. This habit is deceptively simple but incredibly powerful.
Here’s the thing: focus isn’t just about time management. It’s about energy management. When you allocate your best hours to your biggest goals, you amplify your impact. But when you let notifications, minor tasks, or other people’s urgencies consume your attention, you end up sprinting all day without actually moving closer to what matters.
I’ve found that the people who create the most meaningful change, whether leaders like Satya Nadella or writers like James Clear—protect their attention fiercely. They say no often. They double down on what actually matters. Focus becomes their compass, guiding them toward deep work and away from unnecessary noise.
7. Cultivate an Unshakeable Sense of Optimism
Musk once said that optimism is essential because ambitious goals require belief before they require execution. Without a forward-leaning mindset, it’s almost impossible to attempt anything bold, let alone complete it.
Optimism isn’t shallow positivity. It’s the disciplined habit of believing problems can be solved. It’s the willingness to imagine a different future and commit yourself to building it. Leaders throughout history like Martin Luther King Jr. or explorers like Ernest Shackleton, leaned heavily on optimism not as wishful thinking but as a driving force.
What many people don’t realize is that optimism is contagious. When you adopt it, it shapes how you approach challenges, how you collaborate with others, and how you interpret uncertainty. It becomes a lens that helps you move confidently into unknown territory.
Conclusion: The Habits That Shape Your Future
When you step back, these habits form a pattern: purpose, learning, action, resilience, environment, focus, and optimism. Together, they build a foundation for real and lasting success, and success defined not just by achievement but by growth, intention, and contribution.
The truth is, your future is shaped less by what you dream about and more by what you practice consistently. Habits make your ambitions real. They turn ideas into progress and progress into transformation.
As Viktor Frankl once wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” That’s the essence of cultivating powerful habits. You’re not just changing your schedule, you’re reshaping who you become.
And if you choose even one of these habits to adopt more deeply in your life, you may be surprised by how far that single shift can take you.
