Journalled on Tuesday, 27 May 2025 | Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 27 degrees, hot, sunny and slightly overcast.
It is almost the middle of the week, and I am firing on all cylinders.
The classes are going well, even though this month is a little slow in terms of the number of pupils.
I have temporarily lost two pupils for different reasons. It is immediate money I am losing, but I don’t really care. When I am not giving classes, I am either writing, blogging, video editing, or doing something else constructive for my future.
It is a push-and-pull situation, a tug-of-war over my time. On one side, it is giving classes, and on the other, future projects, ‘The long gringo’, etc., that I am investing in now to receive financially in the future.
When I am not giving classes, I am working on the blog, using Descript, uploading, etc., which will hopefully yield returns in the not-too-distant future.
I also consider it character-building: any learning process and curve we go through to improve ourselves and our skill set, which enhances our lives, includes patches of self-doubt, insecurity, and sometimes a sense of loss.
But no matter how difficult the struggle is, and no matter what the outcome, we become a better person, or even a more qualified and prepared one, because of such difficulties and challenges. The truth is, it is all good, no matter the final result.
Accept the best Hard for you; Accept your Hard!
Accept the best Hard for your better future. Everything in life is hard. Exercise is hard. Studying is hard. Work is hard. Even doing nothing is hard. They all have a cost and a price, so choose the one that works best for you, because whichever one you choose, you will pay. So it’s better to invest in a Hard that is fulfilling, rewarding and gives you money than to be broke.
Today I finished the biography of Elon Musk. It is a small paperback that depicts his journey from early childhood in South Africa to university in Canada and finally to the States.
It doesn’t delve deeply into his personal life with his ex-wives and children, but more into how, as a person, he reached where he is in such a short time, as the wealthiest man in the world, but more importantly, a revolutionary in so many areas of science and modern society.
SpaceX: When the company began, Musk identified which areas of rocket technology needed to be developed so that the company could become more economically competitive. Now, SpaceX is a world leader not only in the private sector but also among governments.
Tesla: The first major EV car company to make the EV market serious and plausible. His obsession with technology to improve not only cars but also production methods, scale the business, and drive subsequent growth. Although the company is not currently the world’s largest EV car company by number of cars produced, it is still one of the most important, if not the best-known. Tesla is now seen by investors and the market in general not as a car company, but as a tech company that, every so often, creates something new in a consumer market. It is a melting pot of GNU ideas and technology that produces new products to improve people’s lives on a large scale.
Starlink: A network of satellites surrounding the world at low altitude. To supply the Internet with low latency, an exceptionally high speed, and a level of stability at a fraction of its costs for a similar service. In the past, a super yacht or even a smaller yacht would have had to pay millions to secure a weak, slow Internet connection. Now, through Starlink, any boat or yacht, big or small, can have good-quality, reliable Internet for a fraction of the price.
How crazy is that?
And the list goes on, but what really catches my attention about Mr Musk is his lack of boundaries regarding his aspirations and dreams. Although he does not have the know-how or the technology at that exact time, he’s so sure of himself that he will find a way, will not give up, and will keep going until he’s happy with the final result and has achieved what he initially set out to do.
Fundamentally, he is not afraid of what he wants, even though it is new and foreign to him. Even if he doesn’t understand 100% of this new area or this new technology, he still goes ahead, studies, researches, learns, and makes it possible.
Even with setbacks, it is just a lesson to learn, correct, and move forward!
Most of the time, people do not really know what they want or how to achieve it. However, fear, uncertainty, time, etc., creep in, and most give up. It is a kind of test.
If you keep going and do not let the obstacles, the challenges, the setbacks, the disappointments wear you down. Life, the universe approves and rewards you into the resilient, persevering, hard-skinned person that you will become.
It took Mr Musk seven years to build and launch his first successful rocket into space with SpaceX. It was his fourth attempt. The three previous launches had crashed and burned, metaphorically speaking, but it was only after seven years of work that SpaceX achieved its first success.
It is also interesting to consider that everything hinged on this fourth launch. If this fourth launch had not been successful, SpaceX might not exist today. Imagine if he had given up after the third rocket launch, or even before, and look at him and his companies today.
It is essential to understand that we should be rewired never to think, contemplate, or accept giving up, but unfortunately, it is wired into our culture and society.
Maybe it is better to give up! Maybe it is not for me! Maybe it is better to stop! I don’t think I can do it! It is too hard!
Failure is acceptable; it is part of the journey, the process, and the protocol of development. Giving up and walking away is not. If a man from a foreign country can come to America today and build an empire, you can do whatever you want; it is just a question of making sacrifices, choosing your Hard and not giving up.
I am not trying to tell you to build a massive, successful company or empire. What I am telling you is not to be afraid of your wishes, desires and aspirations and fight for them, fight for what is important for you, even if you don’t know what 100% it is.
Take fear out of the mix!
In bed by 9.30 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
