I'm Learning to Love Change
An astronaut climbs into a cramped crew module perched on top of a massive rocket filled with over half a million gallons of liquid hydrogen cooled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit. The countdown begins. 3-2-1-liftoff. Fuel ignites and creates 8.8 million pounds of thrust, which is enough to launch the rocket and propel it to a speed of over 4,000 miles per hour in just two minutes. It proceeds through its various stages. Spent fuel tanks are jettisoned. The remaining service module and crew module leaves Earth’s atmosphere and the astronaut experiences weightlessness for the first time. They unbuckle the harness that’s been holding them tightly to their seat and they remove their helmet. They drift up in the capsule and turn around to look out the window, and they see the blue expanse of Earth from space for the first time.
Astronauts describe the breathtaking experience of seeing Earth from space, and the cognitive shift that comes along with that experience, as The Overview Effect. It’s an appreciation for our planet and the interconnectedness of everything that can only be gained through the experience of seeing Earth from a distance. For those of us who haven’t traveled to space, the Blue Marble picture, which was taken in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17, might give us some appreciation for this feeling.
The Overview Effect requires a radical change of perspective. It requires seeing things from a distance.
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A month ago today I left a job I’d held for over twelve years. No, I did not leave my job to join NASA’s astronaut program, although the first two paragraphs of this post might have had you wondering. I shared that story because I’ve been thinking a lot about change and the perspective that can only be gained through distance. In my case, distance from my previous company. I can’t say I’ve had an Overview Effect yet and I don’t really expect anything that grand, but in leaving, I knew there were insights I would gain and lessons I would learn over time. It’s only natural. When you’re right in the middle of something it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. When you look at it from outside, you have a whole different perspective.
I’m looking forward to writing more about those insights here as they come into focus over time. But here are a few so far:
Leaving the familiar is hard. That’s true. But growth only comes through change. That’s also true. And it's probably more important.
Loved this Mike. I had a very similar experience and appreciate your insights.
One of the things that the overview effect can also evoke are heavy feelings of despondency, some astronauts have felt profound grief at the reality of this lonely planet sitting in a womb of emptiness, perhaps it is because they see how fragile and precious our life is. Likening that to big changes in life (Careers, relationships etc.) can also produce the same effect, remorse and regret a long with feelings of elation. I wonder how much of this is the grief process acknowledging the passing of one phase of our life into the other. Good stuff Mike ... if I could plant a seed, "empathy in the workplace" is something I believe we all could use help understanding how to do better ??
Senior Manager, People Analytics
1 年That 2nd point really resonates. How valuable it is, but how difficult it is to achieve.?