What would you do if you knew you were going to die?
How would you react?
What would you tell your kids?
Randy Pausch is one amazing person. Pausch died yesterday after a long battle with cancer.
Pausch delivered his “Last Lecture,” titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” at CMU on September 18, 2007.
The purpose of the lecture is to talk about what matters most to the lecturer or to ask, “what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?”
Oprah Show Video
Full Lecture At Carnegie Mellon
Key Points From The Last Lecture
Get the fundamentals down otherwise the fancy stuff doesn’t work
When people stop pointing out to you the things you are doing wrong, it means they have given up on you
Critics that carve you up are actually expressing their love for you
Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted
You don’t have to be the smartest, most talented nor physically gifted person to succeed in life and lead others
Brick walls are there not to keep you out but to provide a challenge to keep others out (how badly do you really want to achieve this goal?)
It’s easy to sound smart when you study a subject intensely and ask others for advice
Wait long enough and people will surprise you
It’s important to realize when you are in a pissing match and even more importantly to get out of it as quickly as possible
There is a good way and a bad way to say “I don’t know”
If you are going to be a pioneer in anything, you will get arrows in your back and experience many headaches but it will be all worth it when you look back
Self-reflection is the best give you can give anybody
Parents and mentors are vitally important to achieving a successful life
Being humble is a very difficult habit to build and maintain
Respect authority while questioning it
Never loose your childhood wonder; it’s what keeps your mind young and energy boundless
Loyalty is a two way street
Actions speak louder then words
Never give up on achieving your goals
Earnest people are worth more then any salesman
Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people
Brick walls show us our dedication
Don’t bail out, the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap
When you do the right thing, good things will come out of it
Show gratitude
Don’t complain, just work harder
Be good at something that makes you valuable
Be prepared, luck is where preparation meets opportunity
If you lead your life the right way, karma will make your dreams become reality
I'm a dad, raconteur, scallywag and drinker of strong black coffee.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for posting the Randy Pausch on your website. Martin Luther King Jr. said ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in a moment of comfort, but where he stands at a time of challenge”. Randy Pausch was an inspiration at the toughest time in his life.
Darlene
Thanks for posting the Randy Pausch story on your website. Martin Luther King Jr. said ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in a moment of comfort, but where he stands at a time of challenge”. Randy Pausch was an inspiration at the toughest time in his life.
Darlene
Hey Dar,
Thanks for the note. Great quote by MLKJ.
We all have our challenges in life and we all stand in different places in our life.
I have thought about Randy often since I first saw his lecture in September 07 and wonder where am I standing?
Hey, I read this book for a class assignment. I really enjoyed reading it. It made me think about the challenges we all face in life.