đP.E.S.D.
The psychological disorder of boundary breaking.
The Worldâs a Stage
âAll progress depends on the unreasonable man.â -George Bernard Shaw
Elon Musk bought twitter to ensure that the whole world talks about him. What it did in reality was lead to disengagement by most on X, as Substack and other channels are pulling up quick to get with it.
But still, the corporate incentive packages that not only defy all conventional wisdom, but also have been legally struck down in Delaware, have made him by far the wealthiest man in the world.
Even more, the hype around SpaceXâs IPO, potentially fetching a valuation as high as $2 trillion, will likely mint him as humanityâs first trillionaire. Itâs an epic figure for an epic personality.
Heâs a controversial figure, and one that fits perfectly in the final chapter of the book.
While I wonât spoil that ending, nor dissect Elonâs highly unique brain in this post, I wanted to discuss a common psychological syndrome he gives the masses, even those that donât work for him.
In taking a family trip day off last week, I even noticed the syndrome unwantedly interrupting some personal time.
A Common Syndrome
âItâs not as much fun being me as you think.â -Elon Musk
I call it Post Elon Stress Disorder, or P.E.S.D.
P.E.S.D. noun: 1. that chip on your shoulder feeling you get after learning about what Elon is doing. 2. that reaction you get when someone else exhibits P.E.S.D.
I first noticed this years ago when I was still dating my partner that became my wife. A colleague of hers had just read one of the many biographies on Elon Musk and she noticed a particularly strong asshole vibe coming from him. He even would profess to his colleagues that he didnât need to follow FDA protocols because Elon Musk has gotten where he is by breaking all the rules.
Errr, sorry doc. FDA protocols are required, not recommended.
But while that example may sound ridiculous and non-relatable, this week I had a similar inner moment that I hope wasnât expressed externally.
In driving a few hours to our an adventure in Arches National Park, I decided to finish up maybe the 6th or 7th book Iâve listened to on Elon Musk, a particularly good one: ReEntry, by Eric Berger.
While the book is well-written, and emotionally gripping for a non-fiction book, the contents are not the lesson.
I found myself the entire rest of the day impatient, unsettled and generally unhappy. How was that possible, being in the middle of a wildlife paradise that I sometimes would think looked like Mars may look in a few millennia â if Elon achieves his goals.
I had thoughts like: why do you get to take a day off, when the real people building the world are working nonstop, and sleeping under their desks. By the time Elon was my age, he had already co-founded all the businesses we know about today (plus OpenAI), mastered rocket re-entry and re-usability as a humanity first, and he had already launched the Tesla Model 3, which transformed the entire auto industry.
When you hear about it, or read about it, and particularly focus on the work and behavioral culture, like I like to do, itâs hard to not want to emulate that level of drive.
Just like the Sir Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile paved the way for many other runners to consequently achieve the revolutionary milestone in short order â Elon has done more than just start boundary-breaking businesses. He pushes boundaries of what is possible.
And this is not just deeply inspiring, it is worthy of study for all of us.
A Recurring Phenomenon
âThe best kind of revenge is, not to become like unto them.â -Marcus Aurelius
Whether you love him or hate him, the insane achievements that Elon has been able to pull off thus far in his life are remarkable. Even in the unlikely event that he doesnât achieve his goal of making the human species multi-planetary, heâs still a Julius Caesar character. And Julius Caesar wasnât a particularly well-rounded or a highly ethical role model. But he broke boundaries. And heâs still a household name, nearly 2,100 years later.
Many generations forward will know of Elon.
Just like we still know George Washington, Isaac Newton, Beethoven, Saint Peter and even Gandhi. All of these creators and leaders would instill the fear of God in all that would know them. They were intimidating simply by their example.
All their friends, family members and team members would report unusual amounts of stress around them.
They held themselves and everyone else to a new level for human behavior, and it was palpable.
Even George Washingtonâs grandchildren would stop playing when he entered a room, and would become quiet and docile. His whole vibe would even move a toddler.
Whatâs going on with these figures, isnât just setting a whole new level of behavior for humanity, but thereâs multiple pscyhological forces at play.
There are very few bottom-right brain behaviors associated with these boundary breakers. They are typically not great at marketing, at relating to others, and of empathy.
The bottom right portion of our brains is the one that generates the most pure delight in the present. The one that can kick back at the beach, or detach from the world and go on a hike with their family.
And thatâs when I started to really understand the P.E.S.D.
Thereâs no room for the bottom right brain â and not even much room for the top right brain, for that matter. The creative thinker. The boundary breaker doesnât have much time for abstract creativity.
But just because these leaders werenât totally balanced brain builders, doesnât mean their boundary breaking tendencies arenât massively moving. Perhaps the opposite.
It was perhaps their intensity that ignored balance that made them so effective.
As Elon has said many times, he is often miserable. No one should want to be him.
There is a time to be Elon blow torch mode. I wrote about it a couple months ago. But itâs not all the time, and itâs most surely not in every situation.
So while their example may be inspiring, and may offer us all new levels of possibility, donât try and read up about them on a rare break you give yourself. Those days are better suited to creative thinking, to learning from the world around you and with the people you love.
Intensity may be the key to Boundary Breaking.
But balance is the key to Building.
Your daughter is adorable đ