Conquer Fear, Find Fulfillment & Prepare for the Worst - Lessons from a Legendary Astronaut | Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield (0:01)

Fear and danger are not the same word.

Anticipating failure is a huge important factor in succeeding. The more prepared you are, the more calm you can be, the more calm you are, the more you notice the magnificence of life itself.

Michael Gervais (0:20)

Okay, welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I am your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade in training a high-performance psychologist. And I'm thrilled to welcome one of the most accomplished astronauts of our time, Chris Hadfield, to the podcast for this week's conversation. You might remember Chris from his viral video on the International Space Station, where he performed David Bowie's Space Oddity, a performance that garnered over 50 million views worldwide.

Chris is so much more than a musical talent in orbit. He's not only a retired NASA astronaut, but he's also a skilled engineer, a former combat pilot, and a New York Times bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction works.

One of his standout books, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, is a great read for anyone that's pursuing a high-performance life. In that book, he shares an unconventional philosophy. Prepare for the worst and enjoy every moment of it. It's a mindset I find incredibly powerful, and I think you will too. In our conversation, we dive into Chris's rich experiences, including a harrowing story where he was struck blind while clinging to an orbiting spacecraft.

I mean, imagine that, blind, while you're clinging to a spacecraft thousands of feet up into the atmosphere. And I think that you will love his practical approach to maintaining calm in what was one of the most high-stakes situations that most of us could imagine. We also explore how he uses competence as a tool to work with anxiety and fear, his strategies for problem-solving and teamwork, and his step-by-step approach to making even the most daring dreams a reality. His stories are a masterclass in thriving across diverse environments in space, business, sports, and family life. I cannot wait to share with you Chris's insights, which offer a very practical and inspiring roadmap to achieving deep fulfillment and a purpose-driven life. So with that, let's dive right into this week's conversation with the incredible Chris Hadfield. Chris, how are you?

Chris Hadfield (2:41)

I'm really well, Mike. Thank you for asking.

You know, life goes in phases, and sometimes you get all wrapped up with something you don't really want to be doing. But this particular phase of life, I'm really enjoying it. The mix of activities, the physical health, the family activities that are going on.

So I think my answer to your question is excellent. Thank you. How are you?

Michael Gervais (3:02)

Cool. What a fun way to think about it. I'm doing great. Like I really like the phase of life that I'm in right now as well. You know, I'm in that phase between exploratory and kind of getting to the frontier and bringing back the fruits, if you will, or the insights or the new berries that I find on the frontier and then be able to share them with folks. And you understand the frontier quite a bit.

Yeah.

Chris Hadfield (3:25)

Lived off the planet for about half a year and left Earth three times, commanded a spaceship and done a couple of spacewalks. So yeah, right out on the very frontier of the human experience.

And I just count myself so lucky to have had a chance to do those things.

Michael Gervais (3:44)

OK, so all right, let's start with lucky because when I did my homework, and by the way, I'm thrilled to meet you.

But when I was doing my homework, it doesn't look like it's luck. And so I do want to understand how you've positioned yourself to capture what, from the outside, it looks like you're living a good life, you know, you're a best selling published author, fiction and nonfiction. You've got TV shows and movies and you've got like, and you've walked space and, you know, you've got a great family life and, and you play music from outer space. Like there's so much that seems so good. And you say lucky. Help me understand that.

Chris Hadfield (4:24)

Well, there are a lot of things in your life that you can't control. You know, what you're born with, the situation you're born into, the country you're raised in or the culture you're raised in. And, and then how you seize the opportunities that may come along. And, you know, if you live your entire life under a rock, then you're not going to have much luck in life, probably just because you're not exposing yourself to the opportunity to seize it and to take advantage of it.