Chris Hadfield
Canadian Astronaut

“As a teenager, it was hard for me to figure out what was important in my life. And trying to find the answer helped me come up with three simple rules, which I still use today just as much as I did when I was 17:

1. Get educated – we are lucky as Canadians to have so many opportunities to learn new things. Take a course, learn to SCUBA dive, study a new language, get a degree, learn to play an instrument. Always be working on learning something new.
2. Be healthy – whatever body you have, you can make it stronger and more fit, more capable, every day. Take the stairs, do some sit-ups, don’t get the French fries, drink more water. But not always, life needs to be fun!
3. Do good work – if you’re going to do something, do it well. Pay attention to detail and do it completely. Choose work that is challenging, fun, and interesting for you. Find a career that is fundamentally exciting to you. That way, no matter what jobs you do along the way, you’ll be headed in a direction that suits you.”

Chris Hadfield is the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit, and the only Canadian to ever board Mir.