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Playing small in your career keeps your income and business potential trapped in a box<\/p>\n
Houston Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Most professionals spend their careers deliberately avoiding risk:<\/p>\n
Staying in the same role as long as possible until they\u2019re laid offFollowing conventional career wisdomDoing what feels most comfortable<\/p>\n
NASA astronaut Christina Koch built her career by doing the exact opposite.<\/p>\n
After traveling farther from Earth than most humans ever will and fixing the plumbing aboard the Orion capsule, the Artemis II astronaut sat down with me on Thursday for a candid discussion about what career success really looks like, and the three career rules she lives by–principles that ultimately led her to the moon.<\/p>\n
1. Choose Slow-Burn Over Quick Wins<\/p>\n
\u201cFind something that fulfills you,\u201d Koch said with a warm smile. \u201cFind something that you can do slow, that you can do forever and still love it, that still gives you meaning,\u201d she advises professionals.<\/p>\n
This career advice is timeless because often, it\u2019s easy to chase trends, start a business, or pivot careers purely for the sake of earning potential, seeking quick wins.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve seen it repeatedly in my coaching work, where clients have said that they wanted to start an AI business, for example, because they thought it would be quick money. I always knew from day one that if this was their sole motivation, they would quickly burn out.<\/p>\n
When it comes to career or business, Koch\u2019s advice rings clear: Instead of chasing what looks bright and sparkly, find meaning and fulfillment in the role itself. <\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t do something you genuinely enjoy for the sake of it, the \u201cquick wins\u201d you chase will be just that: they will fade out just as soon as they appeared.<\/p>\n
Slow-burn work means:<\/p>\n
Staying consistently at the same thing, maxing out your potentialTaking your time to develop yourself and discover new facets to your workTurning up even when you\u2019re tired2. Lean Into Discomfort<\/p>\n
Koch put it simply, \u201cOne mantra I often share is to do what scares you. To not shy away from the things that seem impossible. When you do the things that seem like they\u2019re just out of your reach, that’s actually when you get the most out of them and you end up doing the most good for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Your career will never progress, your income will never grow, and you\u2019ll never see your full potential if you stay within what feels within reach and easy to do.<\/p>\n
Koch\u2019s career was built by daring to do what had never been done before, or hardly ever been done before.<\/p>\n
She blazed a trail completing one of the longest single spaceflight missions by a woman (322 days aboard the International Space Station) Did the first all-female spacewalkAnd of course, made history on the Artemis II mission alongside Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen, seeing the far side of the moon on their lunar flyby, making this mission the first in more than 50 years<\/p>\n
Christina Koch made it to the moon by playing the long, slow game to success<\/p>\n
NASA via Getty Images<\/p>\n
While the rigor and training that led to each of these missions–the work that went on behind the scenes to adapt her mind and body for the physical and physiological changes–all felt uncomfortable, she rose to the challenge regardless.<\/p>\n
In the same way, your greatest impact comes from what seems out of reach.<\/p>\n
So if, for example, the idea of launching a startup scares you–that might be a sign that you need to do it anyway. Because while you\u2019re contemplating and procrastinating and choosing to live your life small, someone else has plucked up the courage to say no to their fears and is already two steps ahead of you.<\/p>\n
3. Support Your Peers<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally,\u201d Koch added, \u201csupport those around you.\u201d<\/p>\n
After her almost-10-day Artemis II mission, Koch recognizes that success is not a solo endeavor. For years before, she was training and collaborating with three other astronauts and then lived with them inside rather cramped living quarters while in space.<\/p>\n