PDF Summary:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, by Chris Hadfield

What can you learn about life on our planet by leaving Earth? Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield explores this question in his memoir, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth. Hadfield recounts his years as an astronaut and reflects on valuable life lessons he learned while on the job. He says that while he was up in space, he learned how to live a better life on Earth—and by adopting the perspective and behavior of an astronaut, you can also improve your life.

In this guide, we’ll trace Hadfield’s journey to becoming an astronaut and examine several highlights from his 21-year career. Then, we’ll explore five life lessons Hadfield learned in his role as an astronaut. You’ll learn about Hadfield’s approaches to contributing to a team, finding joy in everyday life, preparing for the worst, and supporting those around you. Throughout our guide, we’ll compare Hadfield’s insights to those of other astronauts and offer actionable tips for applying Hadfield’s lessons to your life.

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Lastly, reactions to Hadfield’s “Space Oddity” music video reveal that praise for his achievements extended beyond the borders of Canada. The video garnered worldwide attention and acclaim. David Bowie himself praised the rendition of his song, calling it “possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created.”

Part 3: Life Lessons Hadfield Learned as an Astronaut

Hadfield claims that the lessons he learned in space improved his life on Earth—and can improve yours as well. In this section, we’ll explore five of the lessons he learned.

(Shortform note: Hadfield’s claim that he learned lessons about life on Earth from his vantage point of space may be a result of what psychologists call “the overview effect.” This is the tendency for astronauts to experience awe, feelings of connection to humanity, and a shift in their perspective after viewing Earth from space. Astronauts have described that the “overview effect” is often bittersweet: In viewing the Earth from afar, they’re been overwhelmed by its beauty, its fragility, and the heartbreaking reality that many of its creatures suffer due to environmental degradation and social inequality. Perhaps this bittersweet, powerful feeling contributed to Hadfield’s desire to share the lessons he learned in space.)

Lesson 1: When You’re a Novice, Aim to Have a Neutral Influence

Hadfield’s early experiences as a new astronaut provided him with insights on how best to approach a team endeavor when you’re a novice. According to Hadfield, when people are new to a team endeavor, it’s often their goal to prove their skills and show everything they can do. However, he claims that when you’re a novice, you should instead aspire to have a neutral influence on the project. You should aim to neither wreck nor greatly improve the project. Hadfield describes two benefits of this “be neutral” approach and explains why it’s better than a “prove your skills” approach.

• Benefit 1: You’ll learn more. When you’re less focused on proving yourself, you can instead focus on observing and learning from experienced teammates.
• Benefit 2: You won’t sabotage the endeavor. When you’re new to something, you’re more likely to make mistakes. By aiming to have a neutral influence instead of a positive one, you’re reducing the risk that your lack of experience will jeopardize the endeavor.

Hadfield says he learned this lesson during his first space flight, when he and his crewmates on Atlantis were guests in the Russian Space Station, Mir. Because Mir was small and the Russian cosmonauts already had their way of doing things there, Hadfield realized that the best thing he could do as a new astronaut was to stay out of the way and complete his duties carefully, without drawing attention.

Applying Hadfield’s “Be Neutral” Advice to Your Life on Earth

In his book, Hadfield provides many examples of how he and his colleagues aimed to have a neutral influence as novice astronauts. However, he doesn’t offer insights on applying this advice in situations on Earth. Let’s return to the two benefits of Hadfield’s “be neutral” approach and explore how you can experience these benefits on Earth.

Benefit 1: You’ll learn more. When you’re a novice, how can you best observe and learn from your experienced teammates? Let’s examine two different strategies:

• Do your homework so your teammates don’t have to spend time actively teaching you. For instance, Hadfield was likely able to both learn from his Russian teammates on Mir and stay out of their way because he spent three years studying Russian.

• Identify a mentor who can guide you through your time as a novice. In The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Health claim that effective mentors hold you to high standards, encourage you, offer advice, and support you to learn from your failures.

Benefit 2: You won’t sabotage the endeavor. How can you ensure your influence is neutral so you don’t sabotage your team’s endeavor? Consider playing a supportive, behind-the-scenes role rather than a leading role. When you’re in a behind-the-scenes role, you create conditions to support more experienced members and you respond to their requests for support instead of charting your own path forward and risking you’ll make a grave error. Research on high-performing teams reveals that the following behind-the-scenes actions support teams’ productivity, cohesion, and success:

• Build community among your teammates. For instance, initiate non-work-related chats during breaks. When teams take time for non-work-related chats, they build better relationships. This makes collaboration easier.

• Keep your team on track during meetings. For example, gather and send out agenda items in advance, or take meeting minutes. The most effective teams run efficient, productive meetings that have a focused agenda.

• Build a culture of sharing genuine appreciation. For example, closely observe your teammates’ achievements and publicly thank them for their contributions. High-performing teams have a culture of appreciating each other’s work.

Lesson 2: Plan for the Worst Possible Outcomes

Even when you’re no longer new to an endeavor, you still encounter new experiences all the time. Hadfield argues that any time you’re beginning a new experience, you should anticipate the worst possible outcomes and plan how you’ll handle them. He learned this lesson from undergoing hours of on-Earth astronaut preparation in which trainers ran him and his colleagues through life-threatening simulations, such as how to handle a system failure on the space station.

(Shortform note: In a MasterClass that Hadfield offers on the topic of space exploration, this lesson seems to form a central principle of his curriculum. He summarizes this idea with the phrase “the more you know, the less you fear.”)

In this section, we’ll explore three interrelated reasons why Hadfield believes you should plan for the worst possible outcomes.

Reason 1: You’ll Be More Effective Under Pressure

First, Hadfield claims that when you plan for the worst possible outcomes, you’re more effective under pressure. Any time you plan for and practice solutions to negative scenarios in advance, these solutions embed themselves in your mind. If disaster strikes (such as the temporary blindness incident), you’ll easily remember your plans, which will help you feel prepared and calm under pressure. For example, Hadfield found that hours of on-Earth training for handling fires aboard the ISS prepared him and his team to respond calmly and methodically when multiple fire alarms went off.

(Shortform note: In Chasing Space, Leland Melvin offers an actionable strategy that may help you put Hadfield’s advice into practice. Melvin claims that thoroughly visualizing the steps of how you’ll handle a situation (such as a worst-case scenario) prepares you to handle it. He learned this strategy when he was an NFL wide receiver—he visualized football plays in advance of games. He adds that this same strategy helped him when he was a NASA astronaut tasked with operating Canadarm to install a research lab at the ISS.)

Reason 2: You’ll Experience Less Anxiety

Second, Hadfield argues that planning for the worst possible outcomes quiets your anxiety. According to Hadfield, anxiety arises when you’re uncertain what will happen, and you worry you’ll have no control if a crisis arises. By anticipating negative scenarios and planning how to prevent or address them, you increase your certainty that you can handle crises. This boosts your sense of control and prevents you from spending your time constantly worrying that you won’t be able to handle unexpected crises.

Reason 3: You’ll Appreciate Positive Moments

Third, Hadfield claims that feeling prepared for worst-case scenarios allows you to be more present during positive moments. Because planning for negative scenarios quiets your anxiety, you have more mental and emotional energy to focus on the positive aspects of an experience, such as the wonders of space travel.

Eileen Collins’ Additional Insights on Handling Worst-Case Scenarios

In her memoir Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars, former astronaut Eileen Collins echoes Hadfield’s advice about the importance of preparing for worst-case scenarios. When describing her first launch into space, Collins provides additional insights on 1) quieting your anxiety during high-risk moments; and 2) why feeling present may be harder for some people. Let’s further examine these two insights and explore how you can apply Collins’ advice to your life on Earth.

1) Quieting your anxiety during high-risk moments: Collins suggests that keeping yourself busy reduces your anxiety during moments in which a worst-case scenario is likely to occur. According to Collins, during her first launch into space, she was too busy monitoring the shuttle’s systems to notice that the shuttle was at the same point in its upwards journey that the Challenger was nine years earlier when it disintegrated, killing all seven astronauts aboard. If she’d paused in completing her checklist to consider that her shuttle could’ve encountered a similar fate, she might have panicked and jeopardized their success.

How can you quiet your anxiety on Earth when you’re facing a high-risk, high-anxiety moment? Like Collins, consider making a checklist of helpful actions that can occupy your mind. For instance, imagine you’re nervous about your pregnancy. Consider making a list of tasks you can complete around the house to keep you busy, such as setting up the baby’s room and packing a “to-go bag” that you can bring to the hospital.

2) Why feeling present for positive moments may be harder for some: Second, Collins notes that her identity as a female astronaut placed additional pressure on her to succeed in her career. This pressure made it harder for her to be present for some positive moments. For instance, after the first shuttle she was on entered zero gravity, she was occupied with thoughts about how she was the first woman to pilot a space shuttle. She read her checklists over and over, convinced that her success in completing her checklists would shape future female astronauts’ opportunities. One of her colleagues then nudged her, reminding her to look out the window and enjoy her first breathtaking view of Earth from afar.

Collins’ anecdote suggests that you may need to rely on your team to help you appreciate positive moments. You can apply this advice to your life by telling your teammates or loved ones that you’d like them to remind you to be present any time you’re consumed with worry. For instance, returning to our earlier example, you can tell your partner, family, and friends to notice when you’re worried and remind you to appreciate the wonders of pregnancy, such as the amazing ways your body changes to support your baby’s life.

Lesson 3: Proactively Show Others You Care About Them

When we’re busy, such as when we have a large work project, it can be hard to give those we love our full attention. Hadfield claims that when you’re away from loved ones, it’s not enough to tell them you care about them—you have to show you care.

Hadfield learned this lesson when he was away from home for long periods to complete his astronaut duties. He noticed that his time away took a toll on his family: He couldn’t be present for all of his children’s birthdays, his family often rearranged their schedules and traveled long distances to attend his launches, and his wife took on more parenting responsibilities.

In such instances, Hadfield still found ways to show his family he cared deeply about them. When he was with his family, he prioritized time with them and honored their needs. For instance, he took his kids on trips with him so his wife could enjoy some time to herself at home. When Hadfield was away, he planned ways to surprise them with unique displays of affection. For example, when he was scheduled to launch on his son’s 16th birthday, he made a birthday sign for him and requested that the media spotlight the sign during their coverage of the launch. His son seemed to enjoy this public celebration of his birthday.

Learn Your Loved Ones’ Attachment Styles

Hadfield’s examples of showing his wife and son he cared about them emphasize the importance of knowing which displays of affection will best communicate care. Hadfield knew his wife valued alone time, so he showed care by making that possible. Hadfield also knew that the excitement of his launch might eclipse the excitement of his son’s birthday—so he made his son’s birthday part of the launch’s hype.

How can you learn the best ways to express care toward your loved ones, as Hadfield did? Psychiatrist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel Heller argue in Attached that different people have different “attachment styles”—ways of meeting their needs for close relationships. Understanding your loved ones’ attachment style can inform how you care for them. Let’s examine Levine and Heller’s ideas on three attachment styles, how biology and upbringing influence attachment style, and how to identify your loved ones’ attachment styles.

Secure attachers are comfortable with expressing and receiving intimacy. They tend to be people who 1) were born with an even temperament, and/or 2) had caregivers that were nurturing, available, and mentally healthy. Secure attachers tend to express love easily and communicate their needs openly. Therefore, you can show you care about them by asking them how you can best meet their needs—they’re likely to give you a direct answer.

Avoidant attachers tend to avoid showing and receiving intimacy because they believe intimacy reduces their independence. They tend to be people whose caregivers were often unavailable and/or unresponsive to their needs. Avoidant attachers tend to be private (for instance, they may be nervous about introducing you to their family), and they may give you mixed messages (such as being intimate one day and distant the next.) According to experts, one way you can show care for avoidant attachers is by offering them opportunities for alone time. Avoidant attachers often require alone time but feel guilty asking for it—so you can help them meet this need by offering it.

Anxious attachers desire close connections and crave frequent reassurance that you love them. They tend to be people whose caregivers were inconsistent in their availability and responsiveness. Anxious attachers tend to be affectionate, and they can feel uneasy when you prioritize other things over spending time with them. According to experts, you can show you care for anxious attachers by providing consistent affection. By doing so, you avoid replicating the circumstances of inconsistency that led them to develop an anxious attachment style. For instance, carve out daily quality time with them (even if it’s a daily phone call) instead of going long periods without contact followed by long periods of time together.

Lesson 4: Find Joy in Everyday Life

Next, Hadfield argues that you’ll live a more satisfying life if you find joy in everyday moments, rather than relying on large milestones and achievements for fulfillment. In this section, we’ll explore two reasons Hadfield believes it’s important to find joy in everyday life.

Reason 1: Large Milestones Are Infrequent

Hadfield claims that it’s important to derive joy from small, everyday moments because large milestones and achievements are often few and far between. If you rely on large milestones to provide you with satisfaction, you’ll be unfulfilled for the majority of the time. On the other hand, if you learn to enjoy the time between these infrequent milestones, you’ll find life more satisfying. For instance, Hadfield spent 21 years as an astronaut, but he only spent a total of about six months in space. He says that he enjoyed all 21 years of his career because he didn’t only relish his time in space—he also delighted in the daily work of being an earthbound astronaut.

(Shortform note: Hadfield emphasizes that being an astronaut taught him to find joy in daily life, but he doesn’t provide strategies for applying this lesson to life on Earth. In The Book of Delights, poet and essayist Ross Gay offers a strategy for noticing and appreciating everyday, positive moments (which he calls “delights”): Write about them. He resolved to write every day about delights, from a bright red flower emerging from a crack in the asphalt to getting a cheerful text message from a friend. He claims that the act of noticing and writing about delights led him to notice and appreciate even more everyday delights.)

Reason 2: You May Never Reach Large Milestones

Large milestones are not only infrequent—they also might not happen at all. Accidents and other unexpected circumstances can rob you of these opportunities. Therefore, Hadfield argues that you shouldn’t expect to achieve your milestones—instead, think of achieving a milestone as an added perk. He adopted this mindset early on in his career because he knew that unexpected changes (such as a reduction in funding for the space program) could mean he wouldn’t go to space. He didn’t want to expect to reach the milestone of going into space, only to be devastated by the news that he couldn’t go.

(Shortform note: In Chasing Space, Leland Melvin echoes Hadfield’s point that unexpected circumstances can rob you of opportunities, and therefore you should find ways to enjoy every day you’re alive. Furthermore, Melvin models a strategy for enjoying everyday life: Remind yourself how fragile life is and how lucky you are to be alive. Melvin learned to cherish everyday life this way after witnessing a tragic accident: In 2003, seven astronauts died when the NASA space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon returning to Earth, reminding Melvin how fortunate he is to be a living astronaut.)

Lesson 5: Find Fulfillment in Supporting Others’ Success

Finally, Hadfield says you’ll be happier if you find fulfillment in supporting other people’s success. He offers three reasons why:

Reason 1: You’ll build closer relationships. When you’re a team player rather than someone who fixates on advancing your own agenda, people will want to be around you and get to know you. (Shortform note: Longitudinal psychology research on happiness supports Hadfield’s belief that closer relationships contribute to your happiness. Many of these same studies also suggest that people with strong relationships live longer, healthier lives.)

Reason 2: You’ll be more successful. Most efforts in life and work are team efforts, and you and your team will thrive if you’re collaborating rather than competing.

(Shortform note: While Hadfield suggests that a lack of competition is healthy for a team dynamic, some experts argue that healthy competition can support team efforts—specifically, it can improve creativity. Competition is healthy when the end goal is supporting the team effort, rather than creating a hierarchy of superiority within the team. Team leaders can foster healthy competition by holding brainstorming contests (such as offering an incentive for whoever comes up with the most effective solution to a problem) and by initiating lighthearted, competitive games.)

Reason 3: You can’t always be in the spotlight. You won’t always be the one assigned to lead important endeavors. It’s best to support others who are in the spotlight rather than attempt to steal the spotlight when it’s not your turn.

(Shortform note: When you’re no longer in the spotlight, feelings of envy can arise—and envy might make it hard to support teammates who are in the spotlight. Psychology research reveals that feelings of gratitude can help you relinquish feelings of envy. When you envy the position of someone who’s in the spotlight, consider engaging in a gratitude meditation in which you devote 10 minutes to reflecting on what you’re grateful for. For instance, you may realize that even though you’re not in the spotlight, no longer being in a prominent role frees you up to spend time doing other important things, such as being with your family.)

How Hadfield Learned This Lesson

Hadfield learned this lesson while serving as the commander of the ISS. Only four days before his team’s scheduled return to Earth, one of his crewmates noticed sparks shooting from the ISS port—evidence of an ammonia leak. Ammonia cooled the station’s power systems, and if too much of it leaked, they would have to switch off the station’s power. Mission Control—the team of experts on Earth that advises astronauts—announced that the astronauts would need to conduct an emergency spacewalk to fix the leak. (Shortform note: Today, there’s a robot on the ISS that “smells” and investigates leaks, such as ammonia leaks. This robot reduces the chances that astronauts have to conduct risky spacewalks to diagnose and fix leaks.)

Mission Control also shared that Hadfield wouldn’t be the one conducting the emergency spacewalk to fix the leak—his two colleagues would. At first, Hadfield was disappointed that he wouldn’t be one of the “heroes” who would save the station. (Shortform note: Hadfield’s desire to be a heroic astronaut may reflect that popular culture tends to portray astronauts as heroes. However, not all astronauts believe this: For instance, in Chasing Space, Leland Melvin cites a keynote speech from former astronaut Michael Collins in which Collins says that astronauts aren’t heroes—like people in any profession, they’re just doing their jobs.)

Not long after receiving the disappointing news that he wouldn’t be going on the spacewalk, Hadfield realized that he had an important duty as the commander: keeping his two colleagues focused, safe, and motivated so they could patch the dangerous leak. To perform this duty, he joined in their excitement about the spacewalk, prepared their spacesuits and equipment, and memorized the steps of the spacewalk so he could direct his colleagues if they lost connection to Mission Control.

When the time came for the astronauts to spacewalk, Hadfield trusted his colleagues to do their best. When they successfully patched the leak, Hadfield was thrilled: He and his team had done something unprecedented, and he was happy his colleagues had the chance to be heroes.

Buddhist Concepts That Relate to Hadfield’s Lesson

Hadfield’s realizations and actions in this anecdote closely relate to two concepts from Buddhist philosophy: interdependence and sympathetic joy.

Interdependence: This is the idea that all living things, situations, and environments are interconnected. According to experts on Buddhism, embracing ideas of interdependence can help you derive joy from others’ success.

Hadfield’s anecdote illustrates how acknowledging interdependence can lead to success and joy. He recognized interdependence when he realized that his colleagues depended on him to keep them focused, safe, motivated, and prepared. He also depended on them to prevent a system shutdown. This mindset allowed him to shift away from feelings of envy so he could support his colleagues, leading him to experience their success as if it was his own.

Sympathetic joy: According to this Buddhist concept, we can derive pleasure from witnessing and supporting others’ joy. Hadfield experienced this type of pleasure when he delighted in his colleagues’ success with patching the leak. Research reveals that people who experience sympathetic joy have stronger relationships and higher life satisfaction. They’re also less likely to burn out at work.

It can be hard to experience sympathetic joy—others’ success can make us feel envious, as Hadfield shows by admitting that he was disappointed that Mission Control didn’t select him for the spacewalk. However, experts say there are ways to replace envy with sympathetic joy. We’ve organized several research-based strategies into three steps you can take when you envy someone.

• Engage in self-compassionate writing. When you experience envy, it’s often because you think you’re lacking in some way. Write down what your insecurity is, then draft a compassionate and accepting response—the type of response a friend might give if they were comforting you.

• Transform your envy into motivation for self-improvement. When you envy someone, it’s usually because they possess a quality you admire. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, get to know them better. That way, you can learn from them and improve.

• Ask them to share about their success. This can help you see how much their success means to them, which helps you feel happy for them. Ask them for details on why they’re happy or excited and why their success will have long-term benefits for them.