An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth
“When you have some skills but don’t fully understand your environment, there is no way you can be a plus one. At best, you can be a zero. But a zero isn’t a bad thing to be. You’re competent enough not to create problems or make more work for everyone else. And you have to be competent, and prove to others that you are, before you can be extraordinary. There are no shortcuts, unfortunately.”
The above quote is from my favorite chapter (Aim to be Zero) in the book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield.
I’ve been meaning to write about this book but for some reason I didn’t. This always happens to the books I loved, which are usually really, REALLY great books too.
Chris Hadfield is very engaging and I was hooked right from page one. Could it be because I’ve always been fascinated by space and astronomy, and therefore, am biased?
I enjoyed reading about his childhood ambition, his journey to becoming an astronaut, the years of endless training when his dream came true (such as classroom theory, one-on-one spacecraft systems, lectures, Russian language lessons, physical fitness, and lots of homework). The selection process was mindbogglingly intense. He also talks about spacewalking, the ISS (International Space Station) FROM launching into space to get there TO staying there for five months, and life in space (the everyday space oddities—dancing M&Ms, wafting fork, sleeping on air—stuff like that). His wife Helene is an absolute heroine in his life.
What more can I say? This is an utterly inspiring and fascinating book. I’ve dog-eared so many pages because the author has so many awesome things to say. Here are some:
“See, a funny thing happened on the way to space: I learned how to live better and more happily here on Earth. Over time, I learned how to anticipate problems in order to prevent them, and how to respond effectively in critical situations. I learned how to neutralize fear, how to stay focused and how to succeed.”
“Being forced to confront the prospect of failure head-on—to study it, dissect it, tease apart all its components and consequences—really works. After a few years of doing that pretty much daily, you’ve forged the strongest possible armor to defend against fear: hard-won competence.”
“While play-acting grim scenarios day in and day out may sound like a good recipe for clinical depression, it’s actually weirdly uplifting. Rehearsing for catastrophe has made me positive that I have the problem-solving skills to deal with situations and come out the other side smiling.”
“Preparation is not only about managing external risks, but about limiting the likelihood that you’ll unwittingly add to them. When you’re author of your own fate, you don’t want to write a tragedy.”
I will be regularly rereading Chapter 9: Aim to be Zero because those pages are a gentle reminder for us to remain humble and be observant. In any new situation, we “will almost certainly be viewed in one of three ways. As a minus one: actively harmful, someone who creates problems. Or as a zero: your impact is neutral and doesn’t tip the balance one way or the other. Or you’ll be seen as a plus one: someone who actively adds value.” The idea is not to proclaim your plus-oneness at the outset and there is no such thing as ‘little people.’ Also, when you’re the least experienced person in the room, it’s not the time to show off. I love this:
“You don’t know what you don’t know—and regardless of your abilities, your experience and your level of authority, there will definitely be something you don’t know.”
I want to end the post with this:
“You can choose to focus on the surprises and pleasures, or the frustrations. And you can choose to appreciate the smallest scraps of experience, the everyday moments, or to value only the grandest, most stirring ones. Ultimately, the real question is whether you want to be happy.”
Updated Sunday, 20 August 2023: Eric Barker of Barking Up the Wrong Tree has written an excellent blog post, This Is How To Succeed Under Pressure: 4 Secrets from Astronauts, based on Chris Hadfield’s book, and I thought I’d share it here in my post about the book!
