Elon Musk revels in thinking big, from inventing the most exciting car company of the 21st century (Tesla) to making space travel a reality (SpaceX), according to an article in Inc. magazine.

Learn how Musk thinks and 3 rules to follow to help you find more courage. 

1. The biggest risk you can take is not taking a risk

In a world where uncertainty is high, you can afford to take risks as long as you fail cheap, learn fast and move on. Musk shows that you must disrupt your usual ways of thinking in order to get started. He gave himself a 100-day timeline to fix South Australia's power network by building the world's largest battery farm in the world or declared it would be free. Setting a self-imposed deadline is a powerful way to get momentum and close the gap from talk to action. 

2. Be a failure pioneer

One of the most popular books among entrepreneurs is the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations." This seminal book is based around a single cogent idea: "You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."

It's OK to be wrong. It's OK to fail. It doesn't make you a worthless human being. In an interview for CNN's Top 10 Thinkers, he says: "When starting out Tesla and SpaceX, in both cases, I thought the odds of success were less than 50%... So it's not as though I was convinced that it would all work. I thought, 'Well, it probably won't work, but it's worth a try because the outcome is important."

3. Develop a Viking spirit

Musk is brave not just in his words but his actions, and he uses failure in a systematic way to pivot fast. He says: "We should not be afraid of doing something just because some amount of failure is likely to occur. If our forefathers had taken that approach, the United States wouldn't exist."

Musk has what the Finnish call sisu, a flair for "extraordinary determination and resoluteness in the face of extreme adversity." It takes sisu to jump into the unknown and embrace uncertainty. Where sisu flourishes, entrepreneurs report higher levels of hope, optimism, perseverance, and resilience.

Next Steps

What future are you prepared to commit to? It's not easy to close the door and jump into the unknown, bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges. Our default setting is to stay in familiar surroundings and accept defeat before even trying. How many times have you thought about a game-changing idea only to let it melt away like snow under the sun? This is known as the "zone of regret." As Musk shows you have to show up every day, be courageous and remember the cost of trying anything in life will never be as painful as never knowing.