It’s unlikely I will ever be a professional astronaut.  It’s a bit regrettable, since it was an early aspiration.

I am at peace with this.  It’s ok.  While I never like to say anything is “impossible,” it wouldn’t be a good choice for me to drive myself hard to become professional astronaut.  In fact, it would be evidently futile.

I ran across a beautifully written synopsis that captures and expands on this point today:

“No long-term strategy can succeed if it allows aspirations to outrun its capabilities or capabilities to corrupt its aspirations.” *

I had to read this twice to get the dual point here:  One, a strategy needs to follow the laws of motion of their system and their context.  That’s why I am not pursuing a third or fourth career as an astronaut.  And two, a strategy that colors within the lines isn’t a worthy strategy.

Great strategies follow the laws motion of their system and their context…without pretending they understand those laws of motion exhaustively.

And I guess being a space tourist isn’t out of the question, especially when the economics improve!

-Chris

* https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2021-10-19/new-cold-war.  The New Cold War America, China, and the Echoes of History, by Hal Brands and John Lewis Gaddis, Foreign Affairs November/December 2021.  I like Foreign Affairs magazine, I find it to be balanced and in-depth for long read articles, if occasionally a bit dense.

John Lewis Gaddis also wrote an outstanding book called On Grand Strategy.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529363/on-grand-strategy-by-john-lewis-gaddis/.  Highly recommended for anyone interested in business strategy and leadership.