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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Hadfield was an incredibly successful fighter pilot and then test pilot, with a degree in mathematical engineering, before being considered for astronaut training. Deeply moving in its ability to engage, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth is written by NASA Astronaut and YouTube star Colonel Chris Hadfield with the complete and unabridged audiobook narrated by the author. This said, I found this to be a difficult read partly due to the repetitive and "take my advice I know better" tone. I usually give my bedtime reads a perfunctory paragraph review, but I had to do a proper review for this one.

His TED talk has been viewed over four million times and he judged the BBC TV series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? Even the simplest quotidian activities like eating and drinking, going to the toilet, brushing your teeth, exercising and sleeping needed to be considered carefully.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.

But his vivid and refreshing insights in this book will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth – especially your own. Opening the hatch always takes longer than anyone would want, because first the crew has to ascertain that the impact of docking hadn’t damaged the Soyuz. It was interesting to hear about how he manages the mental and physical strains of being in space, and even though I’m never going to be in his situation and that’s why this book was such an eye-opening book for me, it still gave me a lot to take away as far as getting along with people in a team and how to be a strong, reliable leader.

It’s counterintuitive, but I think it’s true: promoting your colleagues’ interests helps you stay competitive, even in a field where everyone is top-notch. You’re essentially being rewarded for a lack of preparation, so when you find yourself in a situation where you must prepare, you can’t do it. Being an astronaut is not mainly about going into space; it is about the process of training, learning, practicing, undergoing grueling difficulties, and helping others.