Elon Musk has been regarded as the real life Tony Stark. In reality, he's worked his way to the top with sheer grit and good discipline. Here's 11 pieces of advice coming from the man himself. You'll be good to listen, and listen well!

1. Work really, really hard

When Elon and his brother started their first company they literally lived at the office. They even slept there. Sometimes, he would sleep under his desk. Elon has advocated working 100 hours per week.

2. Don’t listen to the doubters

When Musk decided to create SpaceX one of his friends thought it was such a bad idea, he created a compilation of rockets blowing in an attempt to convince him not to start the company. Even the idea of creating an electric car company had bad reception from his friends. Don't listen to the doubters.

3. Really like what you do

“If you like what you’re doing, you think about it even when you’re not working. It’s something that your mind is drawn too.”

4. Never give up

Elon invested his entire $100 million personal fortune into founding SpaceX. When it looked like all had failed, his response was, “Never. I don’t ever give up.” The next launch was a success.

5. Attract Great People

“All a company is, is a group of people that have gathered together to create a product or service.”

6. Do something important

Musk has stated that he originally thought Tesla would fail. When asked why he would start a company that he didn’t think would be successful his answer was, “If something is important enough you should try even if the probable outcome is failure.” Elon wanted to get rid of the perception that electric cars are ugly and slow.

7. Do something important

Focus on signal over noise. Tesla hasn’t spent a dime on advertising. All of their money goes into make their product the best it possibly can be.

8. Find the problem solvers

When people interview for his companies they are asked about the problems they have solved. They look for problem solvers.

9. Have a great product

To take business away from large entrenched competitors, you need to blow them out of the water.

10. Be absurdly optimistic

Elon is known for setting impossible deadlines and making requests of his employees to cut costs by up to 90%. A lot of the time they fail, but a lot of the time they succeed too. And with great results!

11. Take risks while you can

He encouraged the graduating students to take risks while they were young. It’s a lot easier to go broke and make a comeback at age 25 than it is 10 years later when you have kids and a mortgage to pay.