10 Things I learned At the Kennedy Space Center
As you may, or may not know, during Independence Day (July 4th) I visited the Kennedy Space Center here in Cape Canaveral, FL.
I went there to see the new Atlantis space shuttle exhibit…what I got was a lesson in life.
As I toured the facility, listened to the guides, watched the videos and read the accounts of the United States amazing space program, 10 powerful ideas come to me about accomplishing goals in life.
Below are the 10 things I learned at the Kennedy Space Center
1. You MUST Have A Big Dream.
On September 12, 1962, amid a fierce space race with the Soviet Union, U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered a stirring speech to 40,000 sweaty spectators at the football stadium at Rice University in humid Houston, a speech that would come to be one of the defining moments of his abbreviated presidency.
Fifty years later, that iconic speech — in which Kennedy called for America to put a man on the moon by the end of that decade — is being commemorated by the U.S. space agency NASA and by the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), which currently includes Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin and Ukrainian Yuri Malenchenko.
Said Kennedy, in the most famous words from that Rice address:
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”
That daunting challenge came only seven months after John Glenn, aboard Friendship 7, became the first American to orbit the Earth, which in itself was almost a year behind the Soviet Union’s earth-shaking achievement of putting the world’s first man, Yuri Gagarin, into space.
A man on the moon in seven years, even though no space walks had yet occurred, no dockings in space had yet been practiced, no lunar modules had yet been built.
To live a life of power, purpose and passion you must dare to dream so big that you have no idea on how it’s going to happen.
2. Make It Public
What good is a dream if you keep it to yourself? Kennedy didn’t keep his dream to himself. Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t keep his dream to himself.
When you get your dream let others know about it.
This will commit you to accomplishing it and attract to you the resources need to make it happen. Be daring, be bold and let the world know about your dream!
3. Expect It To Be Hard
Kennedy said it perfectly, “…We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
When you expect the journey to be hard you can be prepared for it. If you think everything is going to go smooth, if you’re not prepared then when you hit your first bump in the road you’ll lose hope and quit.
Expect the best and prepare for the difficult.
4. You MUST Surround Yourself With A Great Team
Going to the moon, and all missions after, took the coordinated effort of a great team, not a good team, a great team!
Again, you must have a dream that is so big you don’t know how you’ll do it. Then announce it to the world and start to put together a team that is equally inspired by your dream. Be very selective, quality, not quantity counts here.
This team must share your vision, your values and your inspiration for the achievement of your goal. When you have put your team together there will be a synergistic affect that will cause the realization of your dream.
5. The Power Of Mono-focus
In this day and age when we are pulled in a multitude of directions that only way to accomplish great goals is to have a mono-focus vision. That is, do one thing and one thing excellent.
Multitasking NEVER accomplished anything spectacular and awe inspiring.
Remember the team you put together? Each of them is to have one task and one task only. You see, you’ll have multiple tasks taking place by several mono-focused individuals.
6. Expect Failure And Never Accept Defeat
During the Apollo program there were significant “failures”, non-more horrific than that of Apollo 1 in 19677 when cabin fire that killed the entire crew during a pre-launch test.
Despite this tragedy the Apollo program went on a put a man on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
The apparent failure again during Apollo 13 where the phrase “failure is not an option” was coined. After the crew go back home safe and sound NASA declared the mission a success, even if the crew never made it to the moon.
The difference between failure and defeat is in your mind. If the dream is big enough you’ll never experience defeat.
7. Have Dedicated Perseverance
Image what the scientists went through even before the tragedy of Apollo 1. Rocket failure after rocket failure. Someone can only survive these types of setback with dedicated perseverance.
When you start on the path to accomplish your goal you must be in it for the long haul. If you’re going to be taken out with the first, second or even tenth setback…don’t begin. Safe yourself the time and resources.
Dedicated perseverance is essential for you and your team to make sure you reach your dream.
The song “The Impossible Dream” by Musical “Man of La Mancha” is a great inspiration here:
“To dream … the impossible dream …
To fight … the unbeatable foe …
To bear … with unbearable sorrow …
To run … where the brave dare not go …
To right … the unrightable wrong …
To love … pure and chaste from afar …
To try … when your arms are too weary …
To reach … the unreachable star …
This is my quest, to follow that star …
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far …
To fight for the right, without question or pause …
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause …
And I know if I’ll only be true, to this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm,
when I’m laid to my rest …
And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach … the unreachable star …”
8. Behavioral Flexibility
Imagine the scientist at NASA thinking that there way was the only way to get a rocket to the moon. Hey, it’s great to be confident, but if you’re not flexible in your approach to accomplishing your goal you’ll probably never make it, especially after a setback.
The scientists all had their area of specialties and they knew their selected field inside and out.
However, when things didn’t go as planned they regrouped and tried again. When this didn’t work, they regrouped and tied something new.
If what you’re doing isn’t working, do some else…anything else.
9. For The Good Of Others
If your dream is just for you, stop right now and rethink it. When we go after a massive dream it must include benefits for others.
The space program has created so many advancements in technology I couldn’t even begin to account for them all here. However NASA has done just that. They have a site “NASA Spinoffs” that list all the technology advancements made directly related to the space program. You can check it out here:
http://spinoff.nasa.gov/spinhist.html
10. Celebrate!
When you do finally accomplish your dream celebrate. Heck, there were tickertape parades, parties, TV appearance and much more to celebrate each major accomplishment at NASA.
We need to celebrate, otherwise we’ll miss the feeling of accomplishment, victory and conquest that is rightfully ours after venturing down such a long and hard road.
Well, there you are. I could have gone on and on, and I trust you get the message here. Put into place these 10 things and you’ll be living a life of power, purpose, passion and perseverance!
Start developing a mindset for an awe inspiring dream by picking up a copy of Develop the Mental Strength of a Warrior today!