Lessons From a Life in Space

Lessons

• 01
  Find Your Inspiration

  You might think you’re not good at something, but often it’s a question of finding the right inspiration to motivate the hard work that you’ll need to become not just good, but great. In this lesson, we learn how a kid who “sucked at math” and was bored at school, stumbled upon a paperback book that changed his life forever — and why that made everything else possible.

  
• 02
  Know Everything (Or at Least as Much as Possible)

  There’s no shortcut to doing the real work. At the same time, few people go the extra mile to know everything they can about a subject. In this lesson, Scott explains how he used his competitive nature to get the edge, and learned how to learn, to fuel his rise and career.

  
• 03
  Failure is an Option

  You’ve heard it in the movies about the Apollo missions: “failure is not an option.” But in the real world, failure is always an option. Here Scott explains the true power in the idea of failure, and how being willing to fail can open up new opportunities and truly sets successful people apart from the rest.

  
• 04
  The Power of Diversity

  Highlighting stories from training and space, Scott explains precisely why diverse teams are more powerful teams. At NASA, he considered diversity of crews and teams a strength and a force multiplier that allows you to discover more and better solutions, faster.

  
• 05
  Take Responsibility and Admit Your Mistakes

  You can’t pass the buck in space. From complex and delicate missions to the fundamentals of leading a team, Scott discusses why being truthful and admitting mistakes (even when it looks bad) is critical to the functioning of any organization. And how, more often than not, it saves the day.

  
• 06
  Have a Plan, a Backup Plan and a Backup Plan for Your Backup Plan

  Scott says there’s a quote he loves, from Mike Tyson, which goes, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” And that’s true. Whatever your first plans are, the real world will have some surprises in store. Scott learned how to navigate this in one of the highest pressure environments known to us, and now applies them to his daily life back on earth. From the health of ourselves and our families, to the public in general, to our financial well being, he develops backup plans for any contingency.

  
• 07
  It’s Likely Not Rocket Science, but When it is, Trust the Rocket Scientists

  Here Scott explains why it’s critically important that we get our information and guidance from the experts and not, your friends on Facebook, untrusted media sources, or people who claim to have, “very good brains.” He believes we have a serious problem in this country with a certain demographic that distrusts science. “Science isn’t up for debate.”