Elon Musk: The Teenage Years

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The man we all know as Elon Musk seems truly larger than life. His life experiences are 'out of this world,' by every definition, and most people can't even begin to relate to the level of success and wealth that he has achieved. It's easy to assume his life has always been one of privilege, but the younger version of Elon Musk didn't have the same experiences as the man we know now. His childhood was filled with struggle, and as reported by Vox, he has always been a little bit 'different,' making his childhood a very difficult one to maneuver. Here's the story of how Elon Musk, as we know him, came to be...

He Was Reclusive

Elon Musk is described as always having been a little bit 'different.' He didn't easily fit in with boys his own age when he was in his teens, and most people that encountered him on any level, felt that he wanted nothing to do with them. In actuality, he was very reclusive, and often opted to stay on his own and do things that didn't involve his peers. Musk was always a fan of technology and would play video games for hours, eventually moving on to code his own space-based game when he was just 12 years old. His project was a success, and he ended up selling it for $500.

Unlike other children his age that were in to sports, hanging out together as a group, and doing typical things that most would expect from teenaged boys, Musk would spend endless hours at home, and was known to read obsessively. He would read one book after another, and gained his wisdom from the literature that was at his fingertips.

Musk also had a Dungeons and Dragons obsession and at one point, when he was 16 years old, he attempted to open up his own arcade. Showing his keen interest in the world of business at a very young age, nobody had any idea of the depths of the success story that would soon become his life.

He Was Bullied

Musk would often 'get into his own head' and was so quiet and unresponsive that his mother sent him for testing to ensure he was not deaf. She recently explained that he still goes into that state, but that she realizes now that he's inventing something or doing something in his mind that would eventually become a groundbreaking development.

Due to the fact that he was so reclusive, was visibly different, and that he was a bit more nerdy than the rest of his peers, Musk was badly bullied. CBS News reported on a time that Musk claims he 'nearly died' from being beaten up so badly. He eventually learned the art of self defense and managed to stand his own ground during his late teens.

He Always Showed A Keen Interest In Technology & Automotive

Elon Musk's passion for creating innovative technology in the automotive and space sectors did not develop overnight. In fact, he always showed interest in these two areas and was a keen and avid developer since he was a teenager. He was known to build explosives and rockets behind his mother's back, and always seemed to have his head and his hands in some sort of new invention that he was creating.

Looking back at his teenage years, it's easy to see that Musk's development into adulthood was a natural progression towards becoming one of the world's leaders in the very same sectors that were of such great interest to him when he was a child.

He Lived Very Frugally

Elon Musk is one of the richest men in the entire world at this very moment. His current net worth sits at a cool $145.7 billion, and continues to increase in leaps and bounds. He's own of the most powerful men in the world, and is a true leader in the worlds of technological advancement, automotive technology, and space exploration.

Musk currently has the ability to pursue a very lavish, extravagant lifestyle, and there is nothing standing in the way of him making any one of his wishes come true. With more money in his personal bank account than most people will ever see in their lifetime, it's hard to imagine that at one point, during his younger days, Musk lived a very frugal lifestyle.

Prior to achieving the level of fame and fortune that he now fully embraces, Musk had immigrated to Canada from South Africa with nothing much to his name. He was very good with money management and learned to live off very little. He recalls living on just $1 a day, and will never forget the sacrifices that came along with that level of survival mode kicking in.

He tells CNBC; “I went more for the hotdogs and oranges, you do get really tired of hot dogs and oranges after a while,” said Musk. mixing things up every now and then with some “pasta and green pepper and a big thing of sauce” which he said could “go pretty far too.”

Musk has come a long way, and now sits atop of his throne as one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Source: Vox, CNBC,Gulf News, CBS News