Lessons learned from a life full of dreams, achievement and success – The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
It was a little over seven years ago this month that Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” first started to capture the 
attention and admiration of millions. With over 17,000,000 views and counting on Youtube, his thoughts on making dreams come true are timeless and fascinating reminders.
Pausch was a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor who received a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis that predicted death in just months. His last lecture, though, was not about death, but rather about life and how to live it.
Here are a few of my favorite points from Pausch’s lecture:
- Have specific dreams. Pausch wanted to be an astronaut so he could float in space. He didn’t become an astronaut but did find a way to float in zero gravity.
- Brick walls are there for a reason. Barriers let us prove how badly we want things. They make us practice so we can go through walls, over them, or around them.
- When you don’t get what you want, you get experience. From failure comes experience, which ultimately leads to success.
- It’s all about the fundamentals. The fancy stuff won’t work without fundamentals.
- Never lose the child-like Wonder. Curiosity is a strong motivator.
- Apologize properly. Apologize (properly). A good apology has three parts: 1) I’m sorry. 2) It was my fault. 3) How do I make it right?
- Never give up. The best stuff is at the bottom of the barrel.
- Do the right thing. Hard work and doing the right thing are always rewarded.
- Don’t complain. Just work harder. Dwelling on problems will not fix them.
- Decide If You’re Tigger or Eeyore. Tigger finds the fun in every situation. Eeyore wallows in self-misery. It’s your choice.
Pretty simple ideas that take a lifetime of practice to get right. Here’s a link to Pausch’s last lecture.
Have a great week.
photo credit: Quote of The Day via photopin (license)
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