Elon Musk Has Asperger’s and is a Wild Success

On Saturday, May 8th, Elon Musk became the first billionaire to host Saturday Night Live. He was also the first host of Saturday Night Live to have Asperger’s Syndrome, or as Musk said “Or at least the first to admit it.”. There are two major things to take away from that last statement. “The first to admit it”. First is that Elon Musk, though he has Asperger’s, has become a wild success building multiple companies into multi-billion dollar organizations. Second that he was the first host to “admit” that they have Asperger’s syndrome as if that is something to be ashamed of and hide.

Let’s talk first about that second point. Elon said that he was the first to admit it as if he should be ashamed of the fact that he has Asperger’s. That is certainly not right. No one should ever feel ashamed of having a mental disorder. Having Asperger’s, Schizophrenia, Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, etc. are all out of the hands of the person with the disorder. No one would ever blame the victim of a disease for having contracted it. The same is true for mental disorders. We as a society need to understand that these folks are not defective or having something wrong with them, but rather their brains work differently from the rest of us. This is neither good nor bad, but different.

Also, despite having Aspergers, Elon has built Paypal, Tesla, and SpaceX into multi-billion dollar valued companies. He has achieved both wild successes in business as well as as a public figure. It would be very easy for a parent or support system around a young person diagnosed with Asperger’s to pity them and begin to treat them as helpless children even as they grow into adulthood. In this case, however, Elon had specific and deep interests in subjects and his interests and talents were encouraged. Rather than attempt to channel him away from the different way of thinking that is common of Asperger’s he was encouraged to lean into them as strengths.

There are a few common characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome. Here are a few of those and how, when viewed as strengths, can help someone with Asperger’s achieve great things.

Intensely Focused Interests

People with Aspergers often have extremely focused interests that may be limited to one or a few very specific fields. For example, they may be highly interested in things like Trains, World War 1 or composing music. For example, Motzart was interested in music composition at an early age, which was encouraged, and that continued into his adult life. Oftentimes these children are referred to as “Little Professors” because of the deep knowledge they possess about subjects that interest them.

Having deep knowledge about a specific subject can be a tremendous advantage. Oftentimes people will attend years of school and study a broad variety of subjects. Most of those subjects do not directly apply to the work they will do later. When people with Asperger’s study a specific subject from an early age, they become masters in understanding every aspect of that subject and derive tremendous joy from both learning and talking about it with others. If they find other people with similar interests they can work effectively together due to their drive around that subject.

Persistence

Those with Asperger’s are known to be highly persistent. Regardless of what they choose to do in life, they are noted to continue to pursue their interests even in the face of failure. When others quit they are likely to keep moving forward. This can often result in those with Asperger’s combining their deep knowledge and deep persistence to achieve novel solutions in areas where others have failed. Their desire to continue when other’s give up is an advantage that allows them to move forward in situations where all others have given up.

This can be a tremendous asset when working towards a solution to a problem that has a profound impact on others. Elon believes that human beings must become multi-planetary as a species to ensure our long-term survival. If there were to be a natural disaster on Earth, humanity to cease to exist, however, if humans also had self-sustaining colonies on the Moon, Mars, Venus, and other celestial bodies, humanity could continue to survive even if there were natural or man-made disasters that made earth uninhabitable. His creation of SpaceX and its core mission to move a million people to Mars and build a self-sustaining city is an example of this persistence in action.

High Integrity

Many people with Aspergers tend to demonstrate a high level of integrity. They tend not to get involved in what they see as unnecessary complex social drama. They do not play manipulative “games” with other people. They tend to be straightforward in their intentions and their loyalties. They are also honest when asked what they think about something. That honesty can sometimes persist where others might tell a white lie to spare your feelings.

While people with Asperger’s can sometimes accidentally do things that lead to hurt feelings they can also be trusted to be honest and straightforward. You always know where you stand with a friend, coworker, boss, or employee that has Asperger’s. They will tell you what they truly think and if they are loyal to you, you can trust that they will maintain that loyalty regardless of what else is going on in their lives. They won’t be influenced by the office or social drama to betray you or your trust. This is a tremendously valuable strength that is possessed by those with Aspergers that can often be overlooked.

Love of Routines

Many people view eating the same meal every day or doing the same things at work over and over again as monotonous and awful. They are the types of things to be avoided whenever possible. People with Aspergers, however, can flourish in environments where they see the same things over and over again. Rather than become discouraged they can lean into the routine without slowing down.

This love of routine and order allows them to do things like building things the same way over and over again. They can run the same science experiment over and over again. They can deliver the same lecture repeatedly. They can travel to space and eat the same terrible meal over and over again. None of this will discourage them. In fact, the routine of their work, food, or even dress frees them mentally to focus on their intense interests. They can think through complex problems and potential solutions because they are not distracted by a variety of new situations.

Strengths to Success Not Weakness

Ultimately the things that many people might view as weaknesses or undesirable traits are actually strengths for those with Aspergers. Instead of being socially awkward, they are intensely honest and loyal. Instead of struggling with new situations, they can continue in the same situation without breaking down. Rather than being one-minded and boring, they can continue to persist until they succeed when others would give up. The difference between strength and weakness is often the perspective of those involved or observing. Remember that people that have mental “disorders” are not defective, they simply have brains that work differently. Understanding those differences, how they apply to success, and encouraging them to lean into them as strengths can achieve great things, like reinventing the electric car, building PayPal, and moving humanity to become a multi-planetary species.

Do you think differently or know someone who does? Have you or they struggled with social interactions, work, or had other challenges to overcome as a result? I want to hear about it! Tell me more by posting below, contacting me or meet me at my website LeaderLifeline.com!

Originally published at https://www.leaderlifeline.com on May 10, 2021.