Elon Musk's advice on how to overcome fear

"When thinking about something that you are afraid of, when thinking about fear, look fear straight into the eye and it will disappear, the nature of fear is that people don't look at it, look at it directly and it will be gone"

Elon Musk's philosophy on overcoming fear, as summarized in the quote, is not about the absence of fear, but about confronting it directly. He has often spoken about how he feels fear "quite strongly," but he chooses to act despite it. His advice to "look fear straight into the eye" can be broken down into a few key, interconnected ideas:  

​1. Acknowledging and Analyzing the Fear

​The core of his advice is to not avoid or suppress fear, but to actively face it. This involves a process of rational and direct confrontation. Instead of letting fear be an undefined, overwhelming force in the back of your mind, you bring it to the forefront. This is similar to a scientific approach:  

​Identify the specific fear: What are you actually afraid of? Is it a fear of failure, financial ruin, public embarrassment, or something else? By pinpointing the source, you make it a concrete problem to be solved, rather than an abstract feeling.

​Analyze the probabilities: Musk is known for his first-principles thinking, which involves breaking down problems to their most fundamental truths. When he started SpaceX, he assessed the odds of success as less than 10%. By accepting this low probability from the start, he diminished the fear of failure. He wasn't hoping for the best; he was prepared for the worst. This rational calculation strips the fear of its emotional power.  

​2. The Power of "First Principles" Thinking

​Musk's approach to fear is rooted in his "first principles" mindset. He famously overcame his childhood fear of the dark by analyzing it. He reasoned that "dark just means the absence of photons in the visible wavelength," and concluded that it was "silly to be afraid of a lack of photons." This same logic applies to his business decisions. He doesn't just accept conventional wisdom or fear-based assumptions. Instead, he asks:  

​What are the fundamental components of this problem?

​What is the absolute worst-case scenario?

​What is the probability of that worst-case scenario happening?

​By breaking down a daunting challenge (like starting a new rocket company) into its most basic parts, the seemingly insurmountable problem becomes a series of solvable engineering and business challenges.

​3. The Importance of the Mission

​Another crucial element of Musk's philosophy is the idea that the mission must be important enough to override fear. He has said that even though he feels fear, he acts "in spite of fear" when "something is important enough."  

​A higher purpose: For Musk, the mission of making humanity a multi-planetary species (SpaceX) or accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy (Tesla) is a powerful motivator. This higher purpose gives him a reason to push through fear and an acceptance of potential failure. He reasons that even if his companies fail, the effort itself will have moved humanity forward and inspired others to "pick up the baton."  

​The alternative is worse: Musk also seems to operate from a place where the fear of not trying is greater than the fear of failure. The fear of stagnation or of humanity remaining confined to a single planet provides the necessary drive to take on audacious risks.

​In Summary: The Disappearance of Fear

​When Musk says that fear will "disappear," he doesn't mean it vanishes completely. Instead, he means its debilitating power is neutralized. By looking at fear directly, you transform it from a monstrous, unknown entity into a manageable, rational calculation. You understand its nature and its limitations. The fear might still be there, but it no longer controls your actions. Instead of being a barrier, it becomes a data point in a cost-benefit analysis, ultimately outweighed by the importance of the goal.