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Our Passionate Need to Conquer Space

-One Leader's Perspective

By Greg L. Thomas

I heard the news from my wife on that Saturday morning and the painful memories returned. She rushed into the bedroom to tell me she unexpectedly got an alarming phone call! The space shuttle Columbia had just broken up during its reentry to earth. My first feelings were that of utter sadness for the astronauts and their loved ones. Then instantly…my mind returned to exactly where I was 17 years earlier when I heard about the shuttle Challenger disaster. I was in Oklahoma City and a manufacturer’s agent salesman had picked me up at the airport to make joint sales calls together. When we arrived at our very first call, the sad news was on the television. Needless to say, no one was in the mood to buy or sell anything on that heartbreaking day in history.

However, in spite of these setbacks and tragedy, mankind will continue to explore space. The reason is because mankind’s need to explore the outer reaches of our world has always been inside our deepest psyche. If you examine the history of mankind, this natural urge for exploration and discovery has always been within us. From man’s earliest origins there has always been a desire to survey and climb the next mountain, cross the next river or explore the next valley. In the 15^th century most of Europe believed the world was flat and if you ventured out too far you might fall off! Yet, the natural urge to go “beyond” could not be denied and some still took the risk anyway! An existing but unknown continent was discovered by Europeans, quickly explored and rapidly colonized. In 1903, the Wright brothers inaugurated the age of flight near Kitty Hawk, N.C. In only 66 years man leapt from the first flight at Kitty Hawk to setting the first man on the moon in 1969.

It is hard to explain in detail why this need for voyage and discovery lies deep in the heart of men and woman. Perhaps the best answer is because we somehow know it is our destiny to explore and understand the universe. Yet there is a startling contradiction to this fact that relates to personal leadership. Here is this contradiction. Yes, man has an passionate need to conquer space. We have conquered most of the physical world we call earth. We have risked our lives to begin to conquer outer space and mankind will continue to do so. But on the other hand, the least explored space for most of mankind has been, and continues to be…inner space. What a paradox that mankind has been so obsessed with exploring and developing outer space and so negligent with exploring and developing the inner space of our own minds!

Why is the gray matter between our two ears so difficult to really discover? Why do so many of us fear the need to explore why and how we think, and act as we do? Why is it so hard to colonize our minds with newer and better thoughts and ideas? One of the reasons is certainly fear. We fear things like the human mind, a vessel we have not made but one that has so much control over us. We may fear what we might find if we journey into inner space! Examining ourselves makes us vulnerable and may starkly reveal to us our own weaknesses. We would rather experiment and explore things we have made and can control more easily! To journey into inner space requires time, preparation, self-discipline and a great degree of will. It is true that we all have free will but will power is not free, and requires a great personal sacrifice to grow to greater levels. Few people seem willing to leave their mental “comfort zones” and make the necessary personal sacrifices required to get to the next level of their own growth.

This is why each person perceives the world from the fixed paradigm of their present mindset and culture. Our personal worldview does not necessarily see the world as it truly is, but from the viewpoint of our background, culture and present frame of mind. Our worldview is often comfortable, but the price we pay for this level of comfort is that our thinking becomes fixed and limited. Because our present mindset is fixed, it “colors” or reinterprets reality. Therefore it can deceive us into accepting distorted thinking. It is for these reasons that we must take the time to routinely explore and analyze what is going on within the inner space of our heads. Don’t take this vast undiscovered world for granted. It has phenomenal untapped potential for greatness and it is waiting for its very own explorer to find it! Presently there is a commercial on television that always gets my attention. In the commercial an elderly man is swimming and the voiceover proclaims, “while you were out…life called, and you’re LATE!” Many of us get so wrapped up in the daily responsibilities and cares of life that we forget why we are here. One of those things we neglect is the fabulous resource that resides within our heads.

Personal leadership is possible when we invest the time and resources needed to develop mental mastery. Yes, outer space is important but the first space that needs to be discovered, explored and conquered is your own mind. Within it is a world of fabulous possibilities, unknown skills, and unbounded creativity. But there is a barrier and it is formidable. This barrier is girded upon a complex structure built by selfishness, comfort, and vague values. When we begin to examine these barriers individually, we provide ourselves the opportunity to truly explore inner space to a degree we never have before. It opens up a completely new world! Allow me to discuss each of these latent barriers.

Selfishness is at the root of our human existence. As infants it is a natural and beneficial survival skill. Since we are totally dependent on others and helpless as infants, we express our needs to be clothed, fed, cleaned, and burped…now! However, as we grow and mature, we are supposed to grow beyond the infantile response of everything being about “me” and “now”. Life is a maturing process where we should grow from dependence toward independence. and ultimately into interdependence. Today’s personal leader must grow far beyond an attitude of selfishness to the attitude of service. All smart leaders understand that to achieve good things requires the cooperation of a team of people dedicated to a cause. These people (respectfully called followers) are individuals. They also have personal emotions, wants and needs that deserve to be fulfilled.

The goal of an effective leader is not simply to “get the job done” by any means available. That is not leadership; it is tyranny. The goal of an effective leader is to meet the needs of their followers. This will naturally result in the encouragement and motivation of the followers to work together and sacrifice as a team in order to “get the job done”. The followers of a tyrant wait patiently for the demise of the despot, because he or she is really despised. On the other hand, the followers of a leader energetically serve each other and the “cause” because they respect or even admire the leader. Personal leadership is all about maturing from a selfish attitude and perspective to an interdependent perspective oriented in an attitude of service toward others. Every great world religion has as one of its major tenants the powerful philosophy of living a broadminded path away from self and toward service. Selfishness has destroyed more relationships and ruined more opportunities than any other serious personal flaw. Have you begun your personal journey into space? As you send your mental probe into inner space, do you still see childish self-centered motives or principled maturity? If you see the need for more progress, the time to begin is right now!

Comfort is a human need. It provides a sense of security and accomplishment. We often look upon comfort as the reward for a job well done. Within our “comfort zone”, we do not feel anxious or threatened. This often helps us to be more productive. These are good things, but we must also be aware of the pitfalls. Comfort can lull us into a false sense of security and accomplishment! This happens to businesses every day. Comfort makes them bureaucratic and unresponsive to the needs of customers. They stop being innovative and creative. They rest on their past accomplishments and presto, they wake up one morning with a competitor owning their markets and profits.

As individuals, this can happen to us as well. Comfort (and the desire to attain more of it) can potentially destroy us. It can lull us into a deep sense of self-satisfaction. We may stop growing or maturing because the comfort replaces self-examination and introspection. We may stop becoming passionate about good causes or achieving noble goals. We may stop caring about the needs of others because…after all…we are comfortable. Like all good things, the personal leader values and appreciates the right degree of comfort, but seeks a balance in life. This is one of those vital areas where too little or too much can be harmful, but the right balance is fulfilling and healthy. As you begin to explore and conquer inner space, take a candid look at your “comfort zone”. Is it big enough that you feel secure, stable and accomplished? Or has is become so large that it is now a barrier to personal growth and the ability to prod yourself forward? Here is a hint…sometimes we must leave our “comfort zone” to expand our horizons and get to “the next level” in life!

Vague values plague many people. It is a terrible emotional disease because decisions or actions are not determined by their validity or a fixed set of standards, but by expediency. Within recent years, a former consultant to a past American president has stated that when the president would wake up in the morning, one of the first things he would do was to read the nightly poll results taken on major issues. He did this to determine his opinions and values about these major issues. If the majority of people favored a particular stance, the president was an ardent supporter…that is until opinion shifted. This is a sad but true example of what can happen to any of us when our lives are not based on firm moral principles.

Values which are vague or nebulous are not really “values” at all! According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word value means “A principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable.” Something that is of real value is considered a principle or standard to live by. It is not something that is easily changed or abandoned depending on the situation or expediency. As we explore inner space we need to make sure we know what our values are. We need to candidly ask ourselves if we live by them, and model them. If we don’t, we run the risk of hypocrisy and that is one of the surest ways to alienate others and sabotage a worthy cause or goal. If you find your values are vague, you have limited your capacity for personal leadership. It is time to discover why and how your personal values were established. It is time to honestly ask yourself why they are vague. It may also be time to evaluate what these poorly defined values have done to you and build a new and better value system!

In conclusion, it is an incredible paradox that mankind has spent so much effort and resources in leaving our planet to explore outer space, while neglecting exploration of the inner space of the human mind. Frankly, the reason we do this is because we believe the journey into outer space is easier to accomplish than a voyage to inner space. The former deals with science, physics and mathematical principles we can calculate and comprehend. The latter deals with emotions, fears and a human psyche we are yet to truly understand or appreciate. If you want to expand your leadership qualities in this new century, it will require you to go the extra mile and beyond what has been expected of leaders in the past. It is imperative that you understand yourself and your motives in order to truly value and respect others. What you will find there may give you the important tools you need to transform your thinking to a greater summit.

So go ahead, make that essential investment in yourself. Set aside some time and your ego to take a revealing trip. Begin to develop a passionate need to conquer space…your inner space!

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About the author:

Greg has an extensive thirty-five years experience in public speaking and has spoken to hundreds of audiences worldwide. Greg has a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Bellevue University, where he also has served as an adjunct professor teaching courses in business management and leadership since 2002. His first book, 52 Leadership Tips (That Will Change How You Lead Others) was published in 2006 by WingSpan Press. His second book, Making Life's Puzzle Pieces Fit was published in March 2009. Both are available at amazon.com. Greg is also the president of Leadership Excellence, Ltd and a Managing Partner of the Leadership Management Institute. Leadership Excellence, Ltd. effectively builds individuals and organizations to reach their highest potential through enhanced productivity and personal development using a number of proven programs. He is also the president and founder of weLEAD Incorporated.