我如何才能变得像比尔·盖茨,史蒂夫·乔布斯，埃隆·马斯克和理查德·布兰森一样伟大？
原文来自 Quora，已获得答主授权，内容仅代表答主观点。
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译者：天璇 校对：Betty, Kiki, 老白
How can I be as great as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson?..
我如何才能变得像比尔·盖茨,史蒂夫·乔布斯，埃隆·马斯克和理查德·布兰森一样伟大？
Justine Musk
极端成功源于极端的人格，并且需要付出许多其他代价。我认为，这和你考虑的成功不是一回事，因此你不必和理查德或者埃隆一样富有，成就卓越，保持很高的生活水准。这样你更有可能幸福。但是如果你很极端，必须成为理想中的自己，那么幸福或多或少无关紧要。这些极端成功的人往往很怪异，不善于和别人共事，却被迫用一种极富挑战的方式体验世界。他们有自己的生存策略，随着年龄的增长，他们将这些策略运用到其他事情上，创造出明显而强大的优势。他们想常人所不敢想，从不同的角度看待事物，提出新的想法和见解。其他人认为他们有点神经不正常。
热爱！
热爱！
热爱！
如果你不热爱自己正在做的事，那么停下来，找到真正能使你着迷的事。这有助于你培养自我意识，但是如果你打算说服你需要的人去帮助你，你必须服务于伟大的事业（并且不犯错误，你将会需要他们）。当人们簇拥在你身旁，奉承你时，他们说的并不是事实，“伟大的事业”能够使你在前进时保持清醒。不要因为你“想变得伟大”而去追求一些事。致力于你热爱的事，追求本身吸引你，迫使你前进。极端的人能够把崇尚疯狂工作的价值观和聪明才能结合在一起，因此如果工作本身不能驱动你，你将会精疲力尽，抑或半途而废，或者疯狂的竞争对手会毁灭你，使你无力回天。
追随你热爱的事，直到问题开始暴露出来，这个问题引人深思又富有挑战，也影响了很多人，你拼命想要解决，尝试各种方法。解决这个问题可能花费数年的时间，因为你不得不探索不同的知识结构，搜集细节，然后把它们联系起来，最终得以解决。
拥有充沛的精力和超出常人的毅力会大有帮助。如果你在先天基因上不占优势，尽可能的保持身体健康则至关重要。这些都将会发生——时差反应，精神疲乏，狂欢，孤独，无意义的会议，难以解决的挫折，家庭闹剧，和难得一见的伴侣的争执，灵魂的暗夜，令你厌烦和恼怒的人，极少的睡眠，甚至彻夜不眠。保持身体和思想的清醒。这将会带来回报。
学会处理一定程度的压力，尽管这种压力会使很多人崩溃。
不要走前人走过的路，不要寄希望于你的榜样。没有“下一步”。极端的成功不同于其他的成功，对其他人奏效的东西对你来说可能没用。他们拥有大胆的观点，知道如何利用自己独特而又特别的优点。他们不遵循传统，而且他们成为企业家的一个原因是他们不能或不愿意适应公司生活的结构和例程。他们患有阅读障碍症，孤独症，或者注意力不足过动症，他们与这个世界格格不入，他们时常惹怒别人，陷入争执，捅娄子，在文书工作前傻笑。但是他们能把劣势转化为优势，正如我前面提到的，并且寻找在某些领域出类拔萃的合作伙伴，因为他们自己在这些方面毫无才能。
他们不害怕失败——或者他们害怕，但是必须继续前进。他们将经历巨大的，悲惨的，丢脸的，众所周知的失败，但是他们不断尝试，直到成功。当他们经历别人不曾经历的失败，他们会学到别人没有或者永远不会学到的东西。他们拥有令人惊叹的毅力和弹性。
他们不可能阅读这样的材料。（这不是在抨击或者批评这样做的人；我自己也喜欢阅读这些东西。）他们更可能直接阅读一本书；或者名人的传记，比如亚历山大，叶卡捷琳娜二世，或者其他他们认为伟大的人。网上冲浪非常浪费时间，并且他们知道自己时间的价值——即使在他们的时间还没有那么值钱的时候——他们消耗不起。
我还能继续讲述，这是一个引人注目的话题，但是你已明白其中道理。我祝你好运，充满力量，也许你需要一杯酒来庆祝这一刻。
在评论部分，一个人似乎不知道谁是叶卡捷琳娜二世，表明这是我这个“愚蠢的女权主义者”的“一个彻底的谎言”，但是叶卡捷琳娜二世提出和制定反歧视策略的能力，值得每一个人好好学习。
James Altucher
我从理查德.布兰森身上学到的十件事
前几天，我晚上外出，在迈阿密海滩附近的一个公园长凳上睡着。
当我醒来时，我假装自己刚来到这个世界，一无所知。现在我必须去了解每件事。
这是我年幼时本该做的。如果我真的意识到自己一无所知，也许能够避免很多麻烦。
所有成功的人都是从一无所知开始。
他们向前人学习。
我钦佩理查德·布兰森，他是值得学习的榜样。
理查德·布兰森完美地诠释了“准备，点火，瞄准”这三个词。他准备做某件事，开始着手，然后检查自己是否达到了目标。如果没有，他会重新开始。
我喜欢他如何创办维珍航空的故事。他已经在维珍音乐取得了成功。现在他已经和维珍音乐没有任何关系，我甚至不知道维珍音乐是否还存在。和他有联系的仅仅是维珍航空。
飞机航班取消，每个人都很沮丧。
但是布兰森没有。他发现一架载人飞机，但是他没有足够的钱。
一件好事的开始总是伴随着设想障碍已经消除。他想，“如果我不用为钱担心，我将能够继续旅行”。
我把这称为灵感减法。忽略阻碍你某个想法的障碍，主意会源源不断地涌出。
首先，他准备租私人飞机，尽管障碍仍然存在（“没钱”）
然后，他举起一个指示牌，上面写着：“飞往波多黎各,票价29美元”。人们争相报名，片刻之后他有了乘飞机的钱。
他以这种方式运营航空公司。现在，这是他的主要业务，价值数十亿。
这是他的十大箴言，我认为很有价值。
A）理查德·布兰森：“多听，少讲。听自己讲什么也学不到。”
B）理查德·布兰森：“想办法改善你的工作地点。不要畏首畏尾，做好自己的工作。勇敢一点，没有东西能限制你。”
他不是建议你创办一家公司。你可以创造新的工作氛围，并且会因此得到丰厚的报酬。
谷歌的第一个员工现在是亿万富翁，尽管他不被大众熟知（克雷格·西尔弗斯坦）。他是一个在创新和发展的员工。
C)理查德·布兰森：“当被所爱之人环绕、做真正热爱的事时，年龄没有那么重要。”
我真的相信这一点。我们都有喜欢做的事。正是身边爱我们的人帮助我们实现梦想。
只有当你找到你爱的人时，你才能更好地创造和发展。亨利.福特在45岁时创办第三家汽车公司，建立生产流水线。他消灭了所有对手才做到这一点，因为在之前的公司这些人想要控制他。
哈兰德·桑德斯在65岁时创建“肯德基”。
萝拉·英格斯·怀德在65岁时出版第一本书。这本书后来变成了小木屋系列作品，“草原小屋”。
在大萧条时期，她的生活出现危机，但是她开始和鼓励她继续写作的人呆在一起，她必须以写作来支撑生活。
D）理查德·布兰森：“我知道自己几乎一无所知，人类迄今为止所知道的也很少。在未来人们会逐渐了解一切。宇宙很大，我们每天都在了解它。如果不留心，你会错过很多东西。”
前几天有人问我是否相信“上帝”的存在，我无法回答。对未知的事物永远保持敬畏之心。我们的大脑了解的太少。
下一个理念我想要做轻微的修改：
E）理查德·布兰森：“成为一个企业家，你要一直往前看。当你骄傲自满，停止不前时，你的对手会超越你。”
我认为“企业家”可以替换成“人类”。作为人类的首要任务是生存和成功。工作类型每天都在变。
从我们来到这个世界开始，每天都有进步的空间。
F）理查德·布兰森：“从来没有无聊的人：每个人都有值得分享的故事和见解。在路上时，手机和电脑占据我们的注意力。这么做，我们可能会错过学习和吸收想法或者灵感的机会，这些机会来自一个出乎意料的地方：同路的旅行者。”
每天都有故事藏在我们中间，像等待挖掘的宝藏。当你找到这些故事时，你会得到回报。不是金钱上的回报，而是…我不知道，反正是重要的东西。当它发生时，你能感觉到。
G）理查德·布兰森：“找到不做某件事的理由很简单。但是，如果你展现自己，致力于一个项目，你可能会惊讶于有多少帮助。你不是一个人在战斗。
我们生活在一个相互联系的世界，通过讲故事建立的隔阂（宗教主义，民族主义，统合主义）已经被打破。
你可以使用一篇推文来传播革命思想。请求帮助的方式有一百万种，同样，想要帮助你的人也有那么多。
但是很难开口。被拒绝的恐惧根深蒂固，人们将开口请求视为一种示弱，或担心因为请求侵犯别人的权利。
给你的请求赋予价值，这样不做某事的理由会烟消云散。
布兰森又一次提到“灵感减法”，这推动他不断走向成功。
H)理查德·布兰森：“当大多数人考虑风险时，他们想到的往往是消极的一面，但是他们应该把它看作一个宝贵的机遇。相信自己，全力以赴，做到最好。无论这意味着学习一门课程去改变方向，在你想要从事的职业阶梯中占据一个入门水平的位置，还是自主创业—不尝试，你永远不会知道。”
布兰森使用“灵感减法”提出许多想法的另一个例子。
例如，有时人们说，“要是我知道如何计划，我能做到最好”。假想你能计划，无视担忧。现在你将会实施什么计划？”
你总能无视担忧。举起标志牌（“飞往波多黎各,票价29美元”），或者像布兰森在先前建议的那样，占据入门水平的位置。
当我第一次成功创办自己的公司时，我的工作职称是HBO电视网的程序员分析师，我的账户余额为零。
我从事一份简单的工作，因此我搬往纽约，开始建立人际关系。这份工作做了三年，同时建立了属于我的人际网络。
三年中，超过一半的时间我在运营我的第一家公司。
我总是害怕被人发现自己在同时做两份工作。但是我发现在几乎不可逾越的障碍中存在着宝贵的机会。
当人们认为问题不可能解决时，他们认为它毫无价值。成功的人总是低价买进想法，并以高价卖出。
“为什么我不行？”，接下来的箴言会告诉你：
I）理查德·布兰森：“我一直偏爱梦想家-不是那些浪费时间想“要是…会怎样”的人，而是那些望着天空，说“为什么我不能登上月球？”的人。
他真的想登上月球吗？或者听起来只是陈腔滥调？我们拭目以待。
当布兰森是一个青少年时，他创办了一个音乐杂志，我怀疑他是否还想着登上月球。
但是谁能料到呢？现在他最大的投资是维珍银河公司，当初的杂志（开始时困难重重）真正地变成一家公司，目标是向月球发射飞船。
为什么不行？为什么不行？
J)理查德·布兰森：“我们可以用产品，服务，商业，主意，和政治共同创造一个美好的未来。在这个“新权利”时代，我们都是制造者。开始制造吧。”
有时人们写信告诉我，“不是每个人都能成为企业家，一些人乐意做员工”。
我同意这一点。做员工没什么不好，这是自己的选择。
我做过很多次员工。关键是意识到做“员工”并不意味着你放弃创造，制造和提出想法的自由。事实上，员工的机会比企业家多很多。在大公司，竞争更平等，一切皆有可能。
我和阿斯特罗·泰勒一起去研究所，他最近在我的播客上出现。在谷歌他管理一个特殊部门，叫Google X实验室。他是谷歌的一名员工。
在谷歌他被要求去“做梦”，谷歌现在是一家软件公司，正在致力于开发无人驾驶汽车。这看起来不可思议：“我们怎么可能制造无人驾驶的汽车？”但是这正是机会所在。
每天我醒来时，我的大脑都在为了排除障碍进行持续的斗争。通常不是商业困境，而是心理障碍。关于害怕、人员、主意、希望，但这就是生活。在这个残酷的世界里必须面对不断的障碍和恐惧。
当我年轻时，要是遇到许多很棒的虚拟导师就好了，像理查德.布兰森一样的导师。
坦白地承认“我不知道”，你会获得好奇带来的好处。
希望今天我学到了一些东西。如果没有，我会回去重读这些箴言，并且可能在公园长凳上入睡。
点击这里直接查看「英文版」
Justine Musk
Extreme success results from an extreme personality and comes at the cost of many other things. Extreme success is different from what I suppose you could just consider 'success', so know that you don't have to be Richard or Elon to be affluent and accomplished and maintain a great lifestyle. Your odds of happiness are better that way. But if you're extreme, you must be what you are, which means that happiness is more or less beside the point. These people tend to be freaks and misfits who were forced to experience the world in an unusually challenging way. They developed strategies to survive, and as they grow older they find ways to apply these strategies to other things, and create for themselves a distinct and powerful advantage. They don't think the way other people think. They see things from angles that unlock new ideas and insights. Other people consider them to be somewhat insane.
Be obsessed.
Be obsessed.
Be obsessed.
If you're not obsessed, then stop what you're doing and find whatever does obsess you. It helps to have an ego, but you must be in service to something bigger if you are to inspire the people you need to help you (and make no mistake, you will need them). That 'something bigger' prevents you from going off into the ether when people flock round you and tell you how fabulous you are when you aren't and how great your stuff is when it isn't. Don't pursue something because you "want to be great". Pursue something because it fascinates you, because the pursuit itself engages and compels you. Extreme people combine brilliance and talent with an *insane* work ethic, so if the work itself doesn't drive you, you will burn out or fall by the wayside or your extreme competitors will crush you and make you cry.
Follow your obsessions until a problem starts to emerge, a big meaty challenging problem that impacts as many people as possible, that you feel hellbent to solve or die trying. It might take years to find that problem, because you have to explore different bodies of knowledge, collect the dots and then connect and complete them.
It helps to have superhuman energy and stamina. If you are not blessed with godlike genetics, then make it a point to get into the best shape possible. There will be jet lag, mental fatigue, bouts of hard partying, loneliness, pointless meetings, major setbacks, family drama, issues with the Significant Other you rarely see, dark nights of the soul, people who bore and annoy you, little sleep, less sleep than that. Keep your body sharp to keep your mind sharp. It pays off.
Learn to handle a level of stress that would break most people.
Don't follow a pre-existing path, and don't look to imitate your role models. There is no "next step". Extreme success is not like other kinds of success; what has worked for someone else, probably won't work for you. They are individuals with bold points of view who exploit their very particular set of unique and particular strengths. They are unconventional, and one reason they become the entrepreneurs they become is because they can't or don't or won't fit into the structures and routines of corporate life. They are dyslexic, they are autistic, they have ADD, they are square pegs in round holes, they piss people off, get into arguments, rock the boat, laugh in the face of paperwork. But they transform weaknesses in ways that create added advantage -- the strategies I mentioned earlier -- and seek partnerships with people who excel in the areas where they have no talent whatsoever.
They do not fear failure -- or they do, but they move ahead anyway. They will experience heroic, spectacular, humiliating, very public failure but find a way to reframe until it isn't failure at all. When they fail in ways that other people won't, they learn things that other people don't and never will. They have incredible grit and resilience.
They are unlikely to be reading stuff like this. (This is *not* to slam or criticize people who do; I love to read this stuff myself.) They are more likely to go straight to a book: perhaps a biography of Alexander the Great or Catherine the Great* or someone else they consider Great. Surfing the 'Net is a deadly timesuck, and given what they know their time is worth -- even back in the day when technically it was not worth that -- they can't afford it.
I could go on, it's a fascinating subject, but you get the idea. I wish you luck and strength and perhaps a stiff drink should you need it.
* One person in the comments section appears not to know who Catherine the Great is, suggesting that this is "an utter lie" of mine + "feminist stupidity". But Catherine's ability to rise, and strategize around discrimination, holds interesting lessons for anyone.
James Altucher
10 THINGS I LEARN FROM RICHARD BRANSON
The other day I went out at night and fell asleep on a park bench near the beach in Miami.
When I opened my eyes I pretended I had just landed on the world. I knew nothing. Now I had to learn everything.
That's the way I should've been when I was younger. Maybe I would've avoided many problems if I just realized I knew nothing.
ALL SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE started off knowing nothing.
They studied the people who came before them. Who studied the people who came before them. And so on.
I really admire Richard Branson. He's one to study.
Richard Branson is the perfect example of "Ready. Fire. Aim." He starts something. He does it. Then he looks to see if he hit the target. If not, he starts something new.
I love the story of how he started Virgin Airlines. He was already successful from Virgin Music. Note that now he has nothing to do with Virgin Music.
I don't even know if Virgin Music still exists. All that is left is Virgin Air.
A plane had gotten cancelled. Everyone was upset.
But Branson wasn't upset. He found a plane that would take him. But he didn't have the money.
One good thing to start with always is to imagine the obstacles gone. Imagine, "if I wasn't worried about money, would I still make this trip."
I call this IDEA SUBTRACTION. Subtract the perceived obstacles to an idea and (BAM!) you find that many more ideas are born from that.
First, he arranged to rent the private plane, even though he still had the obstacle ("no money").
Then he put up a sign: "$29 for a plane to Puerto Rico." And everyone signed up. Suddenly he had the money for the plane.
That was his proof-of-concept for an airline. Now that is his main business and it's worth billions.
Here's ten quotes from him that I think are valuable.
A) Richard Branson: "Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak."
B) Richard Branson: "Start making suggestions for how to improve your workplace. Don’t be a shrinking violet, quietly getting your job done adequately. Be bold, and the sky is the limit."
Note he's not suggesting start a company. You can always create inside ANY surrounding and you will be infinitely rewarded for that.
The first employee at Google is now a multi-billionaire even though nobody knows his name (Craig Silverstein). He was an employee and he created and blossomed.
C) Richard Branson: "Age isn't as important so long as you are surrounded by people you love, doing things you passionately believe in."
I truly believe this. We all have things we love to do. And it's the people around us who love us that help us unlock these dreams.
It's ONLY when you find the people you love, you can create and flourish. Henry Ford was 45 when he started his third car company and created the assembly line. He did this once he eliminated all the people who tried to control him at prior companies.
Colonel Sanders was 65 when he started "Kentucky Fried Chicken".
Laura Ingalls Wilder was 65 when she wrote her first book. The book that would turn into the series, "Little House on the Prairie".
This was after she had been totally wiped out in the Great Depression and left with nothing but she started to surround herself with people who encouraged her and pushed her to pursue writing to make ends meet.
D) Richard Branson: "What I personally know would make up a dot so minuscule it couldn’t be seen. What humanity has collectively learned so far would make up a tiny mark within the circle. Everything we all have to learn in the future would take up the rest of the space. It is a big universe, and we are all learning more about it every day. If you aren’t listening, you are missing out."
The other day someone asked me if I believed in "God". There's no answer. Always have reverence for the infinite things we will never know. Our brains are too small.
This next quote I slightly want to change:
E) Richard Branson: "To be a real entrepreneur you always have to be looking forward. The moment you rest on your laurels is the moment your competition overtakes you."
I think 'entrepreneur' can be changed to 'human'. We all have to survive and succeed first as humans. And the job description changes every day.
Every day there is room to finish this sculpture that began the moment our mothers released us into the world.
F) Richard Branson: "There is no such thing as a boring person: everyone has stories and insights worth sharing. While on the road, we let our phones or laptops take up our attention. By doing that, we might miss out on the chance to learn and absorb ideas and inspiration from an unexpected source: our fellow travelers."
Every day has stories hidden inside of them, like a treasure hunt. When you find those stories, you get rewarded. Not by money, but by...I don't know. Something. You feel it when it happens.
G) Richard Branson: "It can be easy to find reasons not to do something. However you might be surprised by how much help is at hand if you put yourself out there and commit to a project. It doesn’t have to be a case of struggling along by yourself."
We live in a world of connection. The barriers we've erected by storytelling (religion, nationalism, corporatism) are breaking down.
You can crowdsource a revolution with a single tweet now. There are a million ways to ask for help and a million people who want to help you.
But it's hard to ask. There's the old fears of rejection. Fears of people viewing asking as weakness. Fears of infringing on someone by asking.
Offer value in your ask and then the reasons to not do something start to go away until there are none left.
And again, Branson is referring to "idea subtraction" which has constantly propelled him from success to success.
H) Richard Branson: "When most people think about taking a risk they associate it with negative connotations, when really they should view it as a positive opportunity. Believe in yourself and back yourself to come out on top. Whether that means studying a course to enable a change of direction, taking up an entry level position on a career ladder you want to be a part of, or starting your own business – you’ll never know if you don’t give it a try."
Another example of how Branson would use "idea subtraction" to come up with tons of ideas.
For instance, sometimes people say, "If only I knew how to program I could do X". Well, imagine you could program. Subtract that worry. Now what ideas would you implement?
You can always subtract a worry. Whether it's putting up a sign ("$29 to get to Puerto Rico") or, as Branson suggests above, taking an entry level position.
When I started my first successful company my job title was, "Jr. Programmer Analyst" at HBO and I had $0 in the bank.
I took an entry level job so I could move to NYC and start making connections. I stayed at that job for three years while building my network.
For more than half of those three years I had my first company on the side, building up.
I was afraid all the time I would get caught doing two jobs at the same time.
But I did learn that these almost insurmountable obstacles were the EXACT reason I had huge opportunities.
When people think a problem is impossible they value it at zero. Successful people buy ideas low (zero) and sell them high.
You ask "why can't I?" as in the following quote from Branson:
I) Richard Branson: "I’ve always had a soft spot for dreamers – not those who waste their time thinking ‘what if’ but the ones who look to the sky and say ‘why can’t I shoot for the moon?’"
Does he really mean the moon here? Or does that sound cliche? Let's look.
When Branson was a teenager and started his first magazine devoted to music, I doubt he was thinking about shooting for the moon.
But who knows? Now his biggest investment is Virgin Galactic. That magazine (which he started despite severe dyslexia) literally turned into a company that is now shooting to land a ship on the moon.
Why not? Why not?
J) Richard Branson: "Together we can make the products, services, businesses, ideas, and politics for a better future. In this ‘new power’ world, we are all makers. Let’s get making."
Sometimes people write me and say, "not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. Some people like being employees."
I agree with this. There is nothing wrong with being an employee. It's what you make of it.
I've been an employee many times. The key is to realize that an "employee" doesn't mean you give up on creating, on making, on coming up with ideas.
In fact, an employee often has more opportunity for abundance than an entrepreneur. The playing field is much larger in a big corporation where everything is possible.
I went to graduate school with Astro Teller, who was recently on my podcast. He runs the special projects division at Google called GoogleX. He's an employee at Google.
He was asked to "dream" at Google and now Google, a software company, is making driverless cars. It seems insurmountable: "What if we can make a car without a driver?" But that's where the opportunity is.
Every day I wake up and it's a constant battle in my brain against obstacles. Usually not business obstacles but emotional ones. Fears. People. Ideas. Hopes. This is life. A stream of obstacles and fears in a tough world.
I wish I had paid attention to the many wonderful virtual mentors, the Richard Bransons of the world, when I was younger.
To simply admit, "I don't know" and reap the benefits of curiosity.
I hope I learn something today. If not I'll go back and reread these quotes and maybe sleep on a park bench.
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