Hypothetically, if you knew that you were going to die and you had one last lecture, what would you say to your students? It is an academic tradition of Professor Randy Pausch’s University to give a “last lecture” to the students except it was not just a tradition in his case; he is actually dying from cancer and only has months to live. My friend from work, SF, has forwarded a YouTube video to me and in this Oprah episode, Randy Pausch talked about our childhood dreams, how to achieve them, and in essence, how to live our lives. And he gave the lecture for only three persons in this world (the answer is in the video). If you have 10 minutes to spare, you may wish to follow the link below and be inspired. Below are the summarized points.
- It is an easy time to dream when we are young (and happy) and we should never lose that spirit.
- Experience is what you get if you don’t get what you wanted.
- When people drive you hard, they care about you. They want you to be better. When you are doing a bad job and no one points it out to you, that is when they have given up on you.
- Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things.
- Good parents are instrumental for us to achieve our childhood dreams.
- The importance of people versus things (people come first, always!).
- Never ever underestimate the importance of having fun. Choose to have fun today, tomorrow, and every day thereafter.
- Work and play well with others: (1) tell the truth, (2) apologize (properly), (3) wait, and people will show their good sides.
- Tell the truth – integrity.
- A good apology has three parts. (a) I am sorry, (b) it was my fault, (c) how do I make it right. Most people neglect the third part and fail to demonstrate sincerity.
- Be patience. No one is pure evil.
- Show gratitude.
- Don’t complain, just work harder.
- If you lead your life the right way, if you live properly, the dreams will come to you.
The YouTube video can be viewed by clicking here.
My book review: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch – A Lecture from the Heart to Whom He Loves
Categories: Other People's Lives
Tags: Randy Pausch16 Comments
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That’s a very very inspiring speech, thanks for sharing wilfrid.
Lani – You most welcome. Glad you like it. And I wanted to pen the points down so that I can remember the contents in the future. I really hope that God will grant him a miracle. That man deserves one.
Thanks for sharing. Apparently, more than 6 million people have viewed the video! If you’re interested, check out his site at
http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/
Very good video and message ! Very often we are lost in the details of day to day life and complain easily… I like his statement “If you live properly, your dream will come.”
So you got this from Oprah ya? See, the TV does teach something good?
Darkspore – Thanks for the link! There are lots of good stuffs there.
Cynthia – Yes, I love that statement too. Such a speech full of hope and promise. Erm, ya, TV is good. Animal channel next!
Good points but hard to achieve. Only can try…
Tigerfish – Hi, I don’t think it is that hard to achieve. Maybe we can’t really do those things he said 100% of the time. But if we change our mindset and try to be better, I think it is very doable
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Thanks very much for the summary i really needed that…
Trueman – You most welcome. Take care!
That was a great speech and the message he was given in that speech is really inspired me… and thanks to you for sharing us these short summary of speech…
Talha – You welcome. Randy has definitely left a legacy that inspires many. I left sad on the day he died. I guess his words are good reminders on how to live a better life.
These are basic lessons we ofen forget in the speed of life. These are good reminders to keep our priorities stratight.
Reggie