The Forgotten Astronaut: How To Cope With Feeling Unnoticed

The eight days between July 16th to the 24th of 1969.

I will never forget as an unconcerned 10-year-old standing at Cape Kennedy and Merritt Island, Florida, watching Apollo 11 thrusted into space carrying three American heroes to ultimately be the first to walk on the moon is a time in life I could never forget. Over the years, I've watched the first steps of Neil Armstrong on the moon, followed closely by Buzz Aldrin. I remember vividly hearing near Neil Armstrong declare one of the most memorable quotes of all time when he said, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Truly words that will never be forgotten and forever etched in the annals of space exploration and the heart of a 10-year-old boy simply on a family vacation to the beach.

Being that close to such historical world events, I am slightly embarrassed to admit I did not until recently know who Michael Collins was and the significance he played to the success of the Apollo 11 mission. He was the third astronaut, but he will forever be remembered by most as the forgotten one. Have you ever been forgotten or overlooked for your contributions? Imagine having been the commander of the mission that landed the first feet on the moon and no one even knows your name, much less the level of contribution you made to this historical world event. Get this, even President Richard Nixon overlooked him. The President sent greetings to the first two people on the moon, but not the third man on the mission. The success of Apollo 11 is due also to Collins, who is not only selfless and unpretentious, but also extremely meticulous. His job was to get them to the moon and back and live to tell about it.

Yet, because he wasn't a moon walker, no one seemed to care. He was the guy who maintained contact with Earth along with Armstrong and Aldrin. He was the guy who floated around on the dark side of the moon and literally lost radio contact with anyone for 21 minutes out of every hour they were on the moon, and I quote when he said, "I am alone now, truly alone and absolutely isolated from any known life, yet no one seemed to notice." Finally, as I researched his life, this quote jumped out at me. Collins admitted in an interview with The Guardian that he was afraid for his colleagues' lives. If they died on the moon, he said he would be forced to return to Earth alone and bear this mark for the rest of his life.

I think many of us can feel his pain. We have contributed in meaningful ways, and yet it appears no one notices or how about people on our team who do things that add to the value of our company's existence, but because they aren't the moon walkers, their story and your story and contributions are brushed away with seemingly no relevance or impact. 

Here are 3 things I learned from the forgotten astronaut that helped me cope with feeling unnoticed or insignificant about my contributions:

1. He never lost sight of the moment being bigger and more important than his feelings. 

2. He realized his job and did it and never lost sight of the importance of that role.

3. That historic moment was not the end of his victories. 

My question to you is, what are you going to do when your contributions are overlooked or viewed as insignificant and you're not invited to moonwalk? Will you accept your role and do it with respectfulness or you dive deep into the abyss of insignificant and live your life only thinking about those who have robbed you of the glory you desire? 

In some ways, I have returned to the launchpad of Cape Kennedy in writing this blog, realizing that I have gifts and talents that offer high levels of value to others. Even if my name is forgotten and I am not invited to walk on the moon, let's just get everyone home safely and be grateful for the part in their lives we have played.