Focus On The Journey, Not On Arriving

Scientific Literacy Is One Of The Underpinnings Of Everything I Do. It's Why I Work With Schools. It's Why I Teach At University. I Do A Lot Of Outreach To Try And Improve General Scientific Literacy, But The Core Of All Scientific Literacy Is Just Literacy.

My Optimism And Confidence Come Not From Feeling I'm Luckier Than Other Mortals, And They Sure Don't Come From Visualizing Victory. They're The Result Of A Lifetime Spent Visualizing Defeat And Figuring Out How To Prevent It. Like Most Astronauts, I'm Pretty Sure That I Can Deal With What Life Throws At Me Because I've Thought About What To Do If Things Go Wrong, As Well As Right. That's The Power Of Negative Thinking.

In Any Field, It's A Plus If You View Criticism As Potentially Helpful Advice Rather Than As A Personal Attack.

It's Not Enough To Shelve Your Own Competitive Streak. You Have To Try, Consciously, To Help Others Succeed. Some People Feel This Is Like Shooting Themselves In The Foot - Why Aid Someone Else In Creating A Competitive Advantage? I Don't Look At It That Way. Helping Someone Else Look Good Doesn't Make Me Look Worse. In Fact, It Often Improves My Own Performance, Particularly In Stressful Situations.

Square Astronaut, Round Hole. But Somehow, I'd Managed To Push Myself Through It, And Here Was The Truly Amazing Part: Along The Way, I'd Become A Good Fit. It Had Only Taken 21 Years.