149: An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth, with Chris Hadfield

When we think of successful people, astronauts are often fairly high on the list. Chris Hadfield flew on two space shuttles and commanded the international space station. Here’s here today to share wisdom from his success that will help all of us us, right here on Earth.

 
Guest: Astronaut Chris Hadfield
Author of the New York Times Bestseller:
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going To Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything*

“So many people in life, maybe without even acknowledging it to themselves, let fear dictate a lot of their decision-making.” -Chris Hadfield
Some keys to balancing sweating the small stuff and avoiding micromanagement

Visualize it going perfectly
Visualize failure before it has happened

What’s the most likely 10 things to go wrong?
Let’s simulate them and figure out how we will react to them
Then run the simulation again to find the best plan and change behavior

Aim to be a zero

Begin by soaking up what’s going on and seeing what’s happening
Recognize the necessity to become educated and understand the subtleties of the environment

How to be successful at work and have a personal and private life that is successful and balanced

Clearly understand what people are trying to accomplish in a family
Make nobody’s sense of self worth dependent on anyone else’s identity
The good intentions of the day are always often sacrificed on the altar of reality

How successful people deal with the “what’s next?” question
“If I had ever said to myself that the only part about this job that I like, or that is worthwhile, or that is satisfying -- is spaceflight, then I would have hated my life.” -Chris Hadfield

What really matters is what I am doing today

Question: How will you define success today?

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