What a Trip into Space Taught Me

I’ve been getting some lessons from an Astronaut.

So now I know how to stay alive in space.

It could be useful.

But what’s even more useful is how the lessons are applicable to life on Earth too.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield’s book, “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth” is fascinating.

In one section he talks about “attitude”.

Now if you’re anything like me, you’ll be thinking attitude is a state of mind.

But in space travel, it means something entirely different.

In space flight, “attitude” refers to orientation: which position your vehicle is pointing relative to the Sun, Earth and other spacecraft.

That’s interesting enough. But Chris goes on to describe the dangers…

If you lose control of your attitude, two things happen: the vehicle starts to tumble and spin, disorienting everyone on board, and it also strays from its course, which, if you’re short on time or fuel, could mean the difference between life and death.

Pretty straightforward, eh? When you lose control of your attitude…

• you’ll become disorientated
• you’ll stray from your course

So it’s important to have the right attitude then. Yeah?

The thing is, I like practical books.

So I wanted to know how Chris Hadfield applies that information to life on earth. After all, the book goes by the grand title of “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth”.

Here’s his handle on it:

In my experience, something similar is true on Earth. Ultimately, I don’t determine whether I arrive at the desired professional destination. Too many variables are out of my control. There’s really just one thing I can control: my attitude during the journey, which is what keeps me feeling steady and stable, and what keeps me headed in the right direction.

That’s pretty simple, too. Control your attitude and it’ll keep you…

• steady and stable
• headed in the right direction.

Chris’ life-long goal was obvious: he wanted to become an astronaut.

However, that seemed to be a goal which was out of his reach. In 2009, just two astronauts were chosen from 5,351 spots (how many astronauts do you personally know?).

But by having the right attitude, practising until he was competent, and doing what was important, he enjoyed the journey until he got there.

And he determined that no matter how it turned out, he would still enjoy the journey and learn as much as he could.

So, in essence, if you want to stay steady and stable, and keep headed in the right direction…

Control your attitude.

It’s not rocket science.

Or is it…?

Excerpts taken from An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield, and used with permission. Book available on Amazon.