NASA's Michelle Thaller on How Understanding The Universe Will Transform You

In 1997, the movie Contact starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey was released. From the moment I first saw it as a 10-year-old girl, I was obsessed. In the last four years, I’ve found myself returning to this movie time and again as a sort of ritual. Sure, there’s probably some nostalgia sprinkled in there, but the film’s fundamental themes are what continue to lure me back to it.?

The story follows an astronomer as she works to decode a message received via a radio signal that makes her question the existence of extraterrestrial life. Throughout the movie, we watch her struggle to earn the respect of her colleagues, navigate the grief of losing her father in childhood, and her battle with the concept of faith.?

As a kid watching Contact, I lived for the science fiction theme, the idea of being an astronomer, and her close relationship with her dad. As an adult, I see how powerful this movie is in showing how an emotion like fear entirely closes us down, while feelings like wonder and positive feelings of awe open us up.?

So this week, I talked with someone whose work is a boon to both wonder and awe in hopes that we can access them every day. NASA’s Michelle Thaller has been an astronomer for over 20 years. I initially saw her on “The Big Think” and later heard her on the podcast “Meditative Story”.

What immediately caught my attention was that she’s a scientist who speaks straight from the heart- an unexpected pairing. As an astronomer, she’s fascinated by the stars, the universe, and beyond. She’s a woman who knows the depths of grief from losing her husband at an early age. And she’s a human choosing to ask the kinds of questions that give us all a much richer sense of how to live in a meaningful way.?

Michelle knows the feelings of wonder and awe intimately and her goal is to share them with the world.?

What are awe and wonder?

Before I go into definitions, think back to the last time you had an experience that:

• Was beyond your logic
• Felt bigger than what you could explain?
• Made you want to explore a topic or experience even more?
• Made your jaw drop as you took it all in?

We often assume moments that make us feel this way have to be monumental–?graduation, the birth of a child, a wedding, summiting a mountain. But if you think about it, the average person can experience moments of awe and wonder on a much smaller scale every day. What’s required of us is a decision to, as Michelle says, “open your eyes and then open your eyes again.”?

But you won’t be able to put your finger on awe and wonder or differentiate the two if you don’t know exactly what they are. In Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown, shares that researchers Ulrich Weger and Johannes Wagerman discovered:?

“‘Wonder inspires the wish to understand; awe inspires the wish to let it shine, to acknowledge and to unite.’ When feeling awe, we tend to simply stand back and observe, ‘to provide a stage for the phenomenon to shine.’”

I spent most of my time interviewing Michelle on the verge of tears, and as I listened to the episode in post-production, that feeling didn’t leave me. Sure, the scientific discoveries that she and her team at NASA have uncovered are staggering. But what resonated most with me was her elevated view of our daily lives because of her work as a scientist.?

I often find myself asking my interviewees, “So what do we do with this information?” With Michelle, the next step was clear: to give ourselves, and our lives, enough respect to stop ignoring the daily gift of life. To cherish every opportunity that comes our way, no matter how seemingly mundane. For her, every day is a chance to examine the mysteries, big and small, that remain just beyond our perspectives.

In the Arena is LinkedIn News’ weekly human potential podcast hosted by (me)?Leah Smart . You’ll hear from some of the world's brightest minds and bravest hearts about how to show up daily to live a better & more meaningful life. Each week, this newsletter shares learnings and practices connected to the conversations.?Subscribe to the show's newsletter ?here .