People tend to think astronauts have the courage of a superhero - or maybe the emotional range of a robot. But in order to stay calm in a high-stress, high-stakes situation, all you really need is knowledge. Sure, you might still feel a little nervous or stressed or hyper-alert. But what you won't feel is terrified.

Chris Hadfield

Categorized in : Courage Emotional Stress

Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It's about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others' success, and then standing back and letting them shine.

Chris Hadfield

team goal inspirational

Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction. Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow, and the day after that. Look at who you want to be, and start sculpting yourself into that person. You may not get exactly where you thought you'd be, but you will be doing things that suit you in a profession you believe in. Don't let life randomly kick you into the adult you don't want to become.

Chris Hadfield

time motivational life

Focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination.

Chris Hadfield

arriving focus journey

Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction

Chris Hadfield

challenges heart moving

Every single day you're the result of what you did on the days prior.

Chris Hadfield

results

Spaceflight isn't just about doing experiments, it's about an extension of human culture.

Chris Hadfield

spaceflight humans culture

Almost everything worthwhile carries with it some sort of risk.

Chris Hadfield

leaving-home growing risk

Don`t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don`t want to become

Chris Hadfield

kicks adults want

In any new situation, whether it involves an elevator or a rocket ship, you 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. Everyone wants to be a plus one, of course. But proclaiming your plus-oneness at the outset almost guarantees you'll be perceived as a minus one, regardless of the skills you bring to the table or how you actually perform.

Chris Hadfield

impact zero skills

If you start thinking that only your biggest and shiniest moments count, you're setting yourself up to feel like a failure most of the time.

Chris Hadfield

moments feels thinking

Remember, nobody changes the world on their own.

Chris Hadfield

changing-the-world remember world

No one ever accomplished anything great sitting down.

Chris Hadfield

sitting-down accomplished sitting

Anticipating problems and figuring out how to solve them is actually the opposite of worrying: it's productive.

Chris Hadfield

problem opposites worry

To me, it's simple: if you've got the time, use it to get ready. What else could you possibly have to do that's more important? Yes, maybe you'll learn how to do a few things you'll never wind up actually needing to do, but that's a much better problem to have than needing to do something and having no clue where to start.

Chris Hadfield

simple education wind

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. So I consciously monitor and correct, if necessary, because losing attitude would be far worse than not achieving my goal.

Chris Hadfield

goal journey attitude

Loneliness... has very little to do with location. It's a state of mind. In the centre of every city are some of the loneliest people in the world... because our whole planet was just outside the window, I felt even more... connected to the seven billion other people.

Chris Hadfield

loneliness cities people

Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow and the day after that.

Chris Hadfield

decisions-you-make tonight tomorrow

Almost everything worthwhile carries with it some sort of risk, whether it's starting a new business, whether it's leaving home, whether it's getting married, or whether it's flying in space.

Chris Hadfield

flying space home

The cool things about space is when you put your pants on here, you can put them on two legs at a time.

Chris Hadfield

legs space two

As I have discovered again and again, things are never as bad (or as good) as they seem at the time.

Chris Hadfield

again-and-again seems