Tesla had extraordinary experiences, emphasizing their impact on his mental development and work. He believes that his early need for introspection, though painful, was ultimately beneficial and taught him the importance of self-awareness for both personal survival and achievement. He criticized modern society's obsession with external distractions and the failure to acknowledge internal dangers. He argued that excessive consumption of substances like coffee, tea, tobacco, and alcohol is more harmful to health than commonly recognized, citing their effects on heart health and mental function. He stresses that these substances, while seemingly innocuous, can gradually weaken the mind and body, leading to long-term damage.
He argued that stimulants are necessary for peak performance in current living conditions. He also emphasizes the importance of moderation and self-control to maintain both physical and mental youthfulness. Tesla has personal anecdotes to illustrate his continued vitality, such as slipping from a fall and flipping 180 degrees so his hands could catch himself. It was witnessed by a bystander, curious of Tesla's age, and revealed himself to be 59. A month later, he visited an oculist for new glasses. When he could read the smallest print from a considerable distance away, the oculist was astonished. His friends remarked that Tesla's suits fit him like a glove, yet had these measurements taken 35 years ago. He humorously recounts an incident where Edison accurately guessed his weight, revealing that Edison had experience weighing hogs in a slaughterhouse.
Tesla recalls a particularly dangerous experience during his youth, which occurred when he was swimming near a flour mill with a dam across the river. Normally, the water level was low, and swimming around the dam was a harmless activity. However, one day, the water had risen significantly, and Tesla found himself swept into a strong current. Struggling to stay afloat, he grabbed hold of the dam wall, but the pressure against his chest was immense. Exhausted and on the verge of being swept over the dam, Tesla suddenly experienced a flash of inspiration. He remembered a diagram explaining the hydraulic principle that the pressure of a fluid in motion is proportional to the area exposed. With this in mind, he turned on his left side, reducing the pressure and making it easier to resist the force of the stream. Despite the danger, Tesla persevered, slowly pushing himself along the dam to escape the stronger current. Eventually, he collapsed from exhaustion, having torn much of the skin from his left side. He was found by others, and after several weeks, he recovered. Reflecting on these close calls, Tesla attributes his survival to the "inventor’s instinct"; an ability to apply knowledge and quick thinking in life-threatening situations. This instinct, he believes, is a key trait of inventors, helping them protect themselves and solve problems in unexpected ways.
Tesla's recalls his first invention with ambition, involving creating an apparatus and method to catch frogs. When he was left out of a group of children who had fishing tackle, Tesla fashioned his own hook from a piece of soft iron wire. He hammered it to a sharp point and bent it into shape, attaching it to a string. Despite initial failure, Tesla's creativity led him to try a new approach, dangling the empty hook in front of a frog, showcasing his early problem-solving and inventive mindset. After that, Tesla repeated the process, finding success every time. His friends, equipped with proper fishing gear had failed to catch anything, making them envious of Tesla. Eventually, he shared his method with them, and soon the frogs’ population in the area dwindled as a result.
Tesla's second invention from his youth reflected his growing desire to harness natural energies. He recalls using May-bugs, or June-bugs, which were a nuisance in his area, often breaking tree branches under their weight. Tesla attached several of these bugs to a crosspiece, which was connected to a spindle that turned a disc, generating power. The bugs, once set in motion, worked tirelessly, continuing to whirl for hours. However, Tesla’s experiments were interrupted by a boy who ate these May-bugs alive, an event that disgusted him and put an end to his insect-powered invention and making him unable to touch an insect again. Tesla’s next project involved disassembling and reassembling the clocks of his grandfather. While he was successful in taking them apart, he often struggled with putting them back together. His grandfather intervened, halting his clockwork endeavors for a long time - about 30 years before Tesla attempted clockwork again. Instead, Tesla turned to creating a pop-gun, made from a hollow tube, piston, and hemp plugs. The gun worked by compressing air between the plugs, producing a loud sound when fired. Tesla found success with this invention, but his activities resulted in broken windows, leading to serious consequences. At one point, Tesla’s fascination with Serbian national poetry led him to carve swords from pieces of furniture. Inspired by the heroic feats described in the poetry, he would spend hours pretending to mow down imaginary enemies. Unfortunately, this resulted in damaging the crops, which led to punishment from his mother. Tesla’s inventive and adventurous spirit was evident from a young age, though it often led him into trouble.
After moving to the city, he started a four-year course at the Normal School to prepare for studies at the College or Real Gymnasium. One of his more unusual accomplishments was becoming the champion crow catcher in the country. He had a simple method: he would hide in the forest, imitate a crow’s call, and wait for one to come near. Once it did, he would distract it with a piece of cardboard and quickly grab it. After catching a pair, a whole flock of crows came after him, attacking me so fiercely that I had to release my birds and take refuge in a cave with a friend. He could catch as many as he wanted, but had learned to respect crows from that point.
In school, he became fascinated with mechanical models, particularly water turbines, which led him to build many of them for fun. His uncle, uninterested in these projects, often scolded him. However, he was captivated by a description of Niagara Falls and imagined a waterwheel powered by them. He told his uncle he would go to America and build it. 30 years later, he saw his idea realized at Niagara, marveling at how the mind works. He also made various contraptions, but his best creations were crossbows. The arrows could travel through a plank one inch thick. The constant use of the bow strengthened his stomach to the point where he sometimes joked that he could digest cobblestones! He also excelled with a sling, a skill he was eager to show off. One day, while walking by the river with his uncle, he made an impossible prediction. As they watched trout leaping from the water, he told my uncle he would hurl a stone at the fish, press its body against a rock, and split it in two. Without hesitation, he did exactly that, leaving his uncle in astonishment. His uncle looked at him almost scared out of his wits and exclaimed “Vade retro Satanas!” (Latin for "Begone, Satan!") and it was a few days before he spoke to him again. Other records, how ever great, would be eclipsed but he felt that he could peacefully rest on his laurels for a thousand years.