We Choose to go to the Moon.. and Finland: Why JFK’s Moon Speech Resonates with Me - and how it inspires me to set and achieve big goals.
November 22 is a date that always makes me pause and reflect. It marks the anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination - 61 years ago today, in Dallas, Texas. Although I am not American and certainly was not alive in 1963, it is a loss that still feels fresh to me, partly because I’ve walked those very streets in Dealey Plaza, toured the museum, visited President Kennedy’s resting place in Arlington National Cemetery, and spoken with people who were in Dealey Plaza that fateful day, witnessing it all. These encounters made history come alive for me in a way no textbook ever could.
But today, I don’t want to dwell on JFK’s death. Instead, I want to celebrate his life - specifically, one of what I consider the greatest speeches of all time: the “We Choose to Go to the Moon” address, delivered on September 12, 1962, at Rice University in Houston, Texas. It’s a speech that has profoundly shaped how I think, live, and set big goals.
This speech is one of the few I’ve memorized word for word. I listen to it weekly. It's a speech I recited at our first official company board meeting as CEO. Its message of courage, ambition, and embracing the unknown has been my guide, even leading me to where I am today, living in Finland, traveling, and starting my own business. Here I will share the highlights of this speech and explain why each part means so much to me.
Change and Challenge
“We meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.”
What I love about this opening is its honesty. It’s not sugarcoated optimism but a recognition of the complexities of the time - 1962, on the brink of the Cuban Missile Crisis, during the Cold War. Kennedy acknowledges the tension between change and challenge, hope and fear, knowledge and ignorance - contrasts that still ring true today in our ever uncertain, fearful world.
We live in an age of unprecedented access to information, yet ignorance persists. Fear often shadows hope. It’s a reminder that progress is never straightforward and that we must navigate both light and darkness and that this must not deter us from doing big things.
How far we have come
“No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man's recorded history in a time span of but a half-century…”
Kennedy condenses human history into a stunning analogy, where 50,000 years becomes just 50 years:
In the first 40 years, humans learned to use animal skins for clothing.
Ten years ago, we built shelters.
Five years ago, we invented writing and the wheel.
Christianity began less than two years ago.
The printing press arrived this year.
The steam engine? Just two months ago.
And penicillin, television, and nuclear power? Only last week.
This perspective is humbling. It reminds me how recent our advancements are and how rapidly the world has changed. It also inspires me to think about how much more we can achieve in such a short time. Although some things take time, and most things take much effort.. nothing is impossible.
What our Progress Teaches Us
“If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred.”
This line captures the heart of the speech: humanity’s relentless drive to move forward. To me, it speaks to the Finnish concept of sisu—the quiet, unshakable determination to overcome challenges and keep advancing, no matter what. Change is inevitable, time cannot be stopped but what we can do is persist and be determined to constantly be better, always learn new things, and always make progress.
Into the Unknown
“We shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away… on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to Earth.”
Kennedy’s breakdown of the moon mission reveals the enormity of the task: an untested rocket, an unfamiliar goal, and countless unknowns. But he answers the inevitable question—“Why?”—with timeless wisdom:
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone.”
This is where the speech transcends the Space Race. It’s about the value of tackling big, hard challenges. Kennedy’s words remind us that these “moonshot” goals force us to become better—to give our best effort, focus, and energy. Everyone has likely heard the iconic phrase, “not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” But I firmly believe what follows is even more important.
Why do hard things? Because they force you to learn. They push you to grow and become better. They challenge everything about you. The challenge isn’t just about achieving something—it’s about becoming something. It’s about transforming yourself into a more skilled, knowledgeable, and less ignorant person. The goal may be the destination, but the process is where the real transformation happens. It’s in the journey that you build yourself into something greater.
My Own “Moonshot Goals”
Kennedy’s speech has profoundly shaped how I live my life. I’ve always sought “moons” to aim for - ambitious, sometimes intimidating goals that force me to grow and push beyond my limits. While some might see certain goals as impossible, I get a thrill from setting them. To me, they’re not just aspirations but challenges and opportunities to work toward something meaningful.
I’m addicted not just to the big goals themselves but to the adventure and process of achieving them. The unknowns - the lessons you’ll learn, the problems you’ll overcome - are part of the excitement. There’s a unique satisfaction in feeling yourself move closer to a goal while also working toward becoming a better version of yourself. These aren’t just tasks to check off a list; they’re challenges that demand my full energy, focus, and determination.
One of my first major moonshots was leaving my home country to study and work in the United States. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done - leaving behind everything familiar to start from scratch in a new country. I had to build a life, navigate a new culture, and pursue a dream career in meteorology and tornado research. It was scary, daunting, but like Kennedy said, such challenges measure “the best of our energies and skills“ that is exactly what happened. That experience showed me how deeply fulfilling it is to take on a goal that stretches you to your limits so far that you become a person the childhood version of yourself would be incredibly proud of.
The thing about these moonshot goals is that once you achieve one, you develop a craving for another. The sense of direction and progress becomes such a powerful reward and drive that you constantly seek the next moon to aim for. From there, I set other moonshot goals, each one pushing me further: publishing research with the National Institutes of Health, presenting at national conferences, driving solo across the United States, playing minor league pro hockey, and, of course, learning Finnish - a task that seemed monumental at first but turned out to be one of the most rewarding pursuits of my life.
Each of these goals demanded significant preparation, effort, and resilience, but they all made me who I am today and gave me skills I now consider invaluable. They showed me that progress comes from embracing challenges head-on and from taking on the hardest challenges. This is not just taking the road less traveled.. but taking the path never traveled an venturing off into the unknown bushwhacking through anything in your way.
Finland: My Biggest Moon Yet
By 2023, I found myself in need of a new moon - a challenge bigger than anything I’d tackled before. I set my sights on Finland, a country I’d always admired but had never visited. On 4 July 2023, I wrote it down: Before the end of the year, I would travel to Finland for a full month.
This wasn’t just a little vacation, it was the most complex, ambitious plan I’d ever attempted. Everything about it was uncertain - the logistics, the finances, the sheer distance involved. I had plans to explore Europe but not until the early 2030s (yes.. I really plan that far in advance.. as I said.. NASA level precision) but something inside me felt the need to go now.. as President Kennedy would say.. it was a challenge I was unwilling to postpone. Finland was now my moon, and I was determined to make it happen.
What followed were months of intense, meticulous planning - what I like to call NASA-level precision. I broke down every detail, booking flights and accommodations, budgeting every expense, creating backup plans for any contingencies or emergencies, researching transportation, everything. It took every ounce of my skills, discipline, and energy. But by mid-July, my flights were booked, and I began preparing for the most transformative journey of my life. The trip itself was everything I’d hoped for - and more. I had such an amazing trip that just 2 months later I returned for a 2nd trip.. one that fortunately turned into residency any living in Finland. Once a far-away land, Finland became my new home.
This experience is a testament to the power of moonshot goals. Setting a seemingly impossible target - and then working tirelessly to achieve it - can lead to outcomes that go beyond what you imagined.
The Reward of the Unknown
Kennedy’s closing words capture exactly how I feel about this journey:
“And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.”
For me, the “most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure” is what makes life exciting. It’s about heading into the unknown, embracing the uncertainty, and trusting in your preparation to carry you forward. If you're not a little scared, you're not living enough and not taking risks.
No matter how much planning you do, there’s always fear and doubt when you take on something new. But those feelings are what make the challenge worthwhile. They force you to grow, adapt, learn, and transform the unfamiliar into something deeply personal... to make far away lands your new backyard.
Every moonshot I’ve taken - whether it was moving to the U.S., publishing research, learning Finnish, or starting a new life (and now my own company) in Finland—has been part of a larger journey. It’s not just about achieving the goal itself, and I’d argue it’s not even about the “person you become along the way.” You don’t just randomly “become” a new person when taking on a moonshot challenge. Instead, you build yourself - cultivating skills, new experiences, and tackling challenges along the way. With focused energy, determination, and sisu, you actively shape yourself into that new person.
Kennedy’s words continue to inspire me to take on the next challenge, set my sights on the next moon, and embrace the unknown with confidence. As I build a life in Finland, surrounded by friends and an incredible community, I keep working toward ambitious goals. Kennedy was right - these challenges serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. They are challenges I was and still am willing to accept, challenges I dared not to postpone. From climbing mountains in -25°C weather to embarking on 100km treks through the Finnish forest to starting my own tech company in Finland, each has been a challenge. More importantly, each has been personally rewarding, constantly improving my skills and pushing me to grow in ways I never thought possible. As Kennedy so powerfully said, ”we choose these challenges not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
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