How Going To Space Changed This Astronaut's Outlook On Life

Space travel taught astronaut Leland Melvin not to sweat the small stuff.

Since the moment Leland Melvin first focused his eyes on planet Earth from the vantage point of outer space, his life has never been the same.

In a poignant new video (above) released by the video network Great Big Story on Monday, Melvin reflects on how his experiences as a NASA astronaut have led him to view the world differently.

"The perspective that you get from that vantage point cognitively changes you," he says in the video. "You get much calmer when you come back from space because the things that you thought were a big deal, are no longer a big deal. These things that are happening day-to-day, like a hang nail, or tripping, or someone cutting you off in traffic, it pales in comparison to the experience that you have had."

Only about 560 people have been to space, and the shift in perspective they've experienced is one that the rest of us can certainly learn from.

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