What does the race to space have to teach you about your business?
Oh, it’s a beautiful lesson. Bear with me while I give you a little history lesson.
NASA, known as The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is responsible for unique scientific and technological achievements in human spaceflight, aeronautics, space science, and space applications that have had widespread impacts on our nation and the world.
What you might not know is, this organization was forged in response to early Soviet space achievements in space.
After World War II drew to a close in the mid-20th century, a new conflict began (there is the transformation peeps). Known as the Cold War, this battle pitted the world’s two great powers–the democratic, capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union–against each other.
Beginning in the late 1950s, the war into space would become another dramatic arena for this competition. Both countries’ focus was being the first country to plant their flag on the moon.
On October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched Sputnik (Russian for “traveler”), the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the Earth’s orbit.
Sputnik’s launch came as a surprise, and not a pleasant but painful one, to most Americans.
NASA had a challenge, and Russia had a challenger (pardon the pun).
Game on! The race to the moon has begun.
But it wasn’t easy. No one had done it before. No one had even attempted to do it before.
It was a new paradigm of thinking, of being, of doing that hadn’t been done before.
There were lots of problems to solve:
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How do you get a man up into space?
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How will they survive in space?
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What will they eat in space and how will they manage to eat warm food?
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How do you get them safely back to land?
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How do you do it without losing life?
Trying to solve these problems was where NASA pioneered technology that facilitated space travel as well as changed our everyday life. They invented things like the microwave, dust busters, polymers for fire fighting, wireless headset, CAT scans, baby formula, air purifier, memory phone, infrared ear thermometer and a computer mouse (not that anyone uses one of those anymore, right ?)
Their will and why to achieve their mission was bigger than the lots of little problems to solve.
And solve problems they did, and were the first country to land man on the moon. Pretty amazing achievement.
But since then, there has been little progress in space exploration. Until recently.
Elon Musk has vowed to make space travel efficient, cost far less and be safe for the everyday people.
This has rustled up interest from Jeff Bezos and Richard Brandson to do the same.
Competition creates innovation and progress (dam right it does!).
Now partnership is happening to create progress too. Russia is joining China as one thing they all have in common is that, this time around, the goal is to build the necessary infrastructure that will allow for a long-term human presence.
Maybe NASA can partner with the Australian Research for Space Exploration (AKA ARSE – clearly didn’t think that one through!).
OK, maybe that won’t happen, but you have to throw ideas out there and see if it’ll be a fit.
Now let’s get to YOU.
You own a business (or you want to in the future).
You have competition. Perhaps you have one big problem to solve or you have to create something that hasn’t been done before.
Firstly, embrace the competition. There are plenty of other people out there who do what you do, if that is a coach, a business owner, marketing, personal training, or a health practitioner.
BUT, no one can compete with you.
So go do you. And do you well.
See the competition as a way to solve more problems, to level up, to push you (when you need a little kick), use it as fuel to your fire.
THEN consider collaboration (see if it is perfect for you).
Because sometimes joining forces with someone else can help you level up in your business.
Remember collaboration takes in different forms, it can be someone you share the load of business with and share the profiles OR it can be a coach, like me, who is on your team (like a board of directors, I’m your mindset coach, running beside you to help you achieve greater income, greater influence and greater impact.)
So thanks NASA, Russia and the race to space for being the greatest teacher in the power of competition and collaboration.
Thanks for reading to the end, I love you to the moon and back.
Leadership Coach & Master Certified Demartini Method Facilitator
BAppSoSc (Counselling)
Maximum Growth One on one & group coaching available
Helping leaders to level up using a transformational mindset work.
P.S. Need someone to be on your team for your business goals? Come join Business Membership to level up in your income, influence and impact here.