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I recognized even as a 9-year-old that I had a lot of choices and my decisions mattered. What I did each day would determine the kind of person I’d become.
As I have discovered again and again, things are never as bad (or as good) as they seem at the time.
Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to tough problems when every second counts. It encompasses ingenuity, determination and being prepared for anything.
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.
To me, it’s simple: if you’ve got the time, use it to get ready.
I never stopped getting ready. Just in case.
We spend our days studying and simulating experiences we may never actually have. It’s all pretend, really, but we are learning. And that, I think, is the point: learning.
In my experience, fear comes from not knowing what to expect and not feeling you have any control over what’s about to happen. When you feel helpless, you’re far more afraid than you would be if you knew the facts.
Being forced to confront the prospect of failure head-on—to study it, dissect it, tease apart all its components and consequences—really works.
When you’re the author of your own fate, you don’t want to write a tragedy.
Early success is a terrible teacher. You’re essentially being rewarded for a lack of preparation, so when you find yourself in a situation where you must prepare, you can’t do it. You don’t know how.
Helping someone else look good doesn’t make me look worse. In fact, it often improves my own performance, particularly in stressful situations.
Physical and psychological adaptation to a new environment, whether on Earth or in space, isn’t instantaneous. There’s always a bit of a lag between arriving and feeling comfortable. Having a plan that breaks down what you’re going to do into small, concrete steps is the best way I know to bridge that gap.
anyone who views him-or herself as more important than the “little people” is not cut out for this job (and would probably hate doing it). No astronaut, no matter how brilliant or brave, is a solo act.
If you’re really observing and trying to learn rather than seeking to impress, you may actually get the chance to do something useful.
life off Earth is in two important respects not at all unworldly: You can choose to focus on the surprises and pleasures, or the frustrations.
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,
