Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Wow! What an amazing piece. I have heard all about Randy Pausch, but this was the first time I have actually heard him speak. He was an inspiring speaker with a lot of wonderful tips. These are tips that any of us, young or old, can take and apply to our personal lives. They are also tips that we, as parents and/or teachers, should instill into the lives of our children today. He was such a motivating speaker and captivating to all of his listeners. It is my desire to apply his principles on life into my own life, the lives of my children, and the lives of those students that I am so blessed to teach. I definitely think that by applying them, we can become a better person, and we can help others to become the best that they can be as well.

In his speech, Randy immediately challenges us to not focus on the cards that life deals to us. Instead, we should focus on how we play the cards. While this might sound like a simple challenge, it can prove to be the hardest. I am a firm believer that we cannot change the circumstances that come our way. However, it is our reaction to those circumstances that can either help us or defeat us. He stated in his speech that it is okay to "screw up." We are not perfect and we all make mistakes. We often get upset with others who point those mistakes out to us. Randy Pausch believes that we should embrace those who are quick to point out those mistakes. If we do not have anyone to bring them to our attention, challenge us to improve, and hold us accountable, then we should be worried. I agree with him on this point. We should be open to feedback and listen to it. We should show gratitude to them. After all, they are helping us grow and become a better person. Although it can be tough to accept criticism, we should always strive to listen to it, take it to heart, and learn how to motivate ourselves to grow and achieve new heights.

He was also a spoke person on dreaming and believing. Everyone loves to dream. However, so few of us strive to attain those dreams. We do not always believe that anything is possible. He encourages us to reach for those dreams and help others to attain their dreams as well. He states that we should always be ready to learn something new and to have fun through the learning process. This is such a huge factor for me. I truly believe that all learning should be fun. That is my personal goal. It is also the goal I strive to achieve for my own children and my students. What good is learning, if you didn't have fun doing it?

Randy also encourages us to never "bail out" of something. We should not give up and quit something when it seems hard to achieve. If we quit, we miss out on the experience of achieving something new and difficult. We also miss out on experiencing self gratification by accomplishing these tasks. He stated that "brick walls" come our way for a reason. They let us prove how bad we want something. By doing this, we have the ability to show our dedication. I believe in his theory of "Don't complain...work harder!" If we quit, we will never be content with not knowing what could have existed if we had kept pursuing ahead.

One of Randy's final notes of encouragement was to always be loyal and to help others. Focusing on others rather than ourselves can bring us such gratification. I am always amazed by the times when I reach out to others thinking I am going to make them feel better. Instead, I walk away encouraged! I am a person who has the gift of giving. I love to give! I find that by doing this unselfishly, it always comes back to you when you least expect it or you are in time of need. Sometimes, giving can be tough. Randy encourages us to give anyway. I agree with his point of always looking for the best in others. No one is ALL negative. Everyone has a strength and we should look for the positive rather than the negative. He encourages us to be patient, wait, and always find the best in everyone. I am a firm believer in the old sayings. First, be careful to point the finger at someone else. There will always be three fingers pointing back at you! Second, be careful of what you criticize others for, because it is usually what you are most guilty of doing yourself.

In closing, Randy left us with a lot of good things that we should apply to our lives. By doing so, we will be stronger and better. We will be higher achievers. We will learn a lot in life and have fun by the whole learning process. We will be happier and never loose wonder. We will definitely be blessed when we are able to help us others achieve these same principles of life. What a remarkable legacy he left behind to all of us. Let us listen to his wisdom, take it heart, and implement it into our lives and the lives of others. I encourage you to watch his last lecture at http://tinyurl.com/mvy4oq. You can also visit www.youtube.com for his interviews and for inspiring comments spoken by those whose lives he touched.