Steve Harvey said this during a segment on motivation:

“Remember when they used to show rockets going to the moon…you see a rocket on the ground, it’s got these four big boosters. When that rocket comes off the ground, two of them boosters stay right there. Them two boosters is just enough to get this big thing off the ground. Two of them stay attached.

Then when that rocket goes up, you can see, and they used to tell you, the next fuel tank is coming off—boom. And now it’s just one fuel tank. Because in order for it to get all the way up to where it’s going, it has to shed that dead weight. In order to get off the ground, some people in your life [are] just for a season, they’re just ground level people. They can’t go up in the air with you now. You gotta remember something my daddy told me: everyone that come with you, can’t go with you. You can’t keep dragging people with you, man.

So now you got these two boosters and one of them come off. Now, in order for that rocket to get into orbit, you have to lose that last fuel tank. Because guess what, it’s out of fuel. It’s out of season. You done went to an area that that fuel tank can’t handle.

If you keep that fuel tank on that rocket ship when it goes into orbit, you’re gonna blow the whole mission. You’re gonna blow the spaceship up. ‘Cause it ain’t got no business going up that high. Now you can insist on taking it if you want to. The problem you’re gonna have now is your rocket ship ain’t gonna get into orbit.”

Here’s my spin on this advice:

In order to even make space travel possible, a team came together with one primary goal in mind: making dreams of space travel and walking on the moon a reality.

The world was filled with people who thought it was impossible to travel into space except for a small handful of scientist who believed it could be achieved. The impossible became possible because of the team NASA assembled.

Not every one who made space travel a reality will ever get to walk on the moon, but without them, Neil Armstrong wouldn’t be a household name.

I apply this idea when it comes to making my own dreams a reality, and also in my everyday life.

The fuel that lifts the rocket into space would be all of our naysayers, gossiping co-workers, bosses who don’t see our worth, family members who are two-faced, liars, thieves, backstabbers, hypocrites, users who only take from us, and those who point out our flaws to ensure that no one is talking about theirs—any of these people can be our own personal fuel to lift our rockets into space travel.

Those who give us fuel to be launched into space have an important job and are the most valuable players in our space mission. Fuel used properly can move mountains, launch us into the most amazing journey, and break sound barriers—it can make the impossible possible. But that’s only if we respect it and recognize its potential for destruction.

Fuel is dangerous if not handled with extreme caution. Out of control, it can destroy everything in its path, including our loved ones.

It’s important to use the fuel only to launch, and to let it burn in a safe, controlled way while maintaining a safe distance. Telling the fuel it’s dangerous or it’s too caustic won’t change its purpose—its only goal is to get you to move. Your only job is to understand the difference between being launched or burned. Always use fuel properly, maintain a safe distance, and have a backup team around you to help put out the fire if there’s an unexpected accident or spill.

Our ground control would be our supporters: family who encourages us, friends who support us, people who believe in us and are rooting for us along the way. They are the ones who bring out the best in us, who inspire community, love, togetherness, and Godliness. They challenge us to do our best, to be our best, and they love us through all of our attempts to launch.

Once you’ve made it into orbit, don’t look back, don’t spend time worrying about where the tank, that empty shell, ended up—it only carried the fuel that was needed to get us off the ground.

Make sure ground-control is filled with genuine, authentic people who want to see your mission be a success and who guide you along the way, but understand that you are the one doing the work to get into space. Ground control guides and makes sure everything is monitored, but you are the one in control of the ship, and you are the one looking out for danger ahead.

And who’s in the cockpit? Me, God, my husband, and our owner’s manual—the Bible.