Monday, July 28, 2008

"WE CANNOT CHANGE THE CARDS WE ARE DEALT, JUST HOW WE PLAY THE HAND.” – RANDY PAUSCH 1960-2008: Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor renowned for his powerful "last lecture" in which he shared his thoughts as he faced terminal cancer, died on Friday at the age of 47.

The lecture Professor Pausch delivered—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"—was not about dying. It was about the value of surmounting obstacles, of making possible the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything he had come to believe. It was about living. For many of us, his words became a reminder that our own futures are all too brief and that we should make the most of every precious moment we have.

A few highlights from the lecture:

  • the power of enthusiasm,
  • the importance of childhood dreams (“It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.”),
  • the fortitude needed to overcome setbacks, ("Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things."),
  • the value of being patient with others. ("Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you."), and
  • the joy of mentoring others.

The lecture is available here (76 minutes long). A transcript of the lecture is here. You can get a copy of the book here (I've read the book and recommend it). This WSJ article by the co-author of the book (Jeffrey Zaslow) is quite good. The official "last lecture" website is here.

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