This book from Chris Hadfield was really fun to read, the first half of the book is about lessons he learned, as the title suggest, while the other part of the book is more a biographical stories about his time in preparing and staying in space.

Notes

Below are some quotes, that I have generalized for the none astronaut reading my blog, I hope to remember from the book:

Success is feeling good about the work you do throughout the long, unheralded journey that may or may not wind up at the launch pad. Training […] got to be an end in itself, […] secret is to enjoy it.

There is one thing I can control: my attitude (orientation) during the journey. Too many variables are out of my control.

Learn to push past fear by gradually building up, the progressive sense of confidence will make you more skilled.

Response positively to criticism, learn from it. Draw your attention to your own missteps and miscalculations. Even hyper-competitive people needs to be able to openly talk about their screw-ups.

Good leadership means leading the way, not hectoring other people to do things your way. Think about the group to get the whole picture.

Know the boldface (actions critical to survival) and recognize when to use it.

Conclusion

What I really liked from this book is the motivation that Hadfield shows in his book. Even if the odds were against him to become astronaut, he always kept ready and worked hard for it. His unique capacity to self-motivate and keep focus on the journey and not on the destination was enlightening. I definitely recommend this book J.