An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me about Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything

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America is a meritocracy. Anything that can be seen as helpful or inspirational and so aiding the climb upwards usually is. So I understand why people think it is a self-help book. But it really isn't. What it is, is the extremely detailed memoir of a very genial man who loves to educate people as much as he likes to do things himself. This education is not in the form of "do this like I did and you will be a more successful person," but more "this is how I became an astronaut and this is how astronauts approach their work. We know most of us will work on Earth and never make it to the ISS, but being an astronaut is a team effort and we are major players in that team." 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”.

When you have some skills but don’t fully understand your environment, there is no way you can be a plus one”. Like Hadfield, I also believe in enjoying the small things. If we only are happy during the big positive events, we won’t be happy very often! I celebrate any small victory or beautiful everyday event so that there are things to enjoy on a regular basis. (As well as reading An Astronaut’s Guide, I also cleared, cleaned and reorganized my cookbook shelf in the kitchen yesterday—I’m spending far more time than I thought I would just admiring my handy work and celebrating cleanliness!!) As Commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield captivated the world with stunning photos and commentary from space. Now, in his first book, Chris offers readers extraordinary stories from his life as an astronaut, and shows how to make the impossible a reality. Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Col. Hadfield's success-and survival-is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst- and enjoy every moment of it. These days, the purpose of quarantine is as much psychological as it is medical: an enforced time-out ensures the astronauts transition to a new kind of existence and go into a high-pressure situation feeling calm and fully prepared.It takes years of serious, sustained effort to become an astronaught, because you need to build a new knowledge base, develop your physical capabilities and dramatically expand your technical skillset. But the most important thing you need to change - is your mind. You need to learn to think like an astronaught.

What truly surprised me is the aspect I loved most about this book had nothing to do with space travel. Sure Hadfield writes about some exciting moments; like scary incidents while spacewalking and tumultuous landings, but the real draw for me was his personal observations as to what made him a good astronaut, and essentially a successful person. He explains so many intriguing approaches to every day life, things that make you reconsider the way you do your own job or interact with others. It's all presented in his fairly matter of fact prose. There's always a slightly technical feel to the way Chris writes, but some sections like the opening chapter are beautifully written. His description of the views from space are almost poetic, indicating that his skills surpass the realm of science and qualify him as a true author.Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft, and become a YouTube sensation with his performance of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' in space. The secret to Chris Hadfield's success – and survival – is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst – and enjoy every moment of it.

What happens to your body after returning from space? Can you walk? Talk? Sleep? Read the book to know more! While play-acting grim scenarios day in and day out may sound like a bad idea, it is weirdly uplifting. Rehearsing for a catastrophe has made me positive that I have the problem-solving skills to deal with tough situations and come out the other side still smiling.If there was a medical emergency or major equipment failure - the crew mates would be the only hope of survival. For all intents and purposes they'd be the last people in the world. In zero gravity, there’s no need for a mattress or pillow; you already feel like you’re resting on a cloud, perfectly supported, so there’s no tossing and turning to find a more comfortable position.

My attitude was more, ‘It’s probably not going to happen, but I should do things that keep me moving in the right direction, just in case—and I should be sure those things interest me, so that whatever happens, I’m happy’.” An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me about Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield 🚀 The Book in 3 SentencesThis is a completely fascinating life story told in such an engaging way that it becomes a gift for one’s own life! As I have discovered again and again, things are never as bad (or as good) as they seem at the time”.