Does the name Randy Pausch ring a bell with anyone?  If not, you probably haven't seen him on the news over the last few weeks.  I had never heard of him before.  I'm glad I did learn of him, but unfortunately it's under bittersweet circumstances.

Randy Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and is in his mid-late 40's I believe.  The man is a genius.  He's a pioneer in science and computers, and has been instrumental in the idea of virtual reality.  He has also been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and has been told to expect three to six more months of good health.

On September 18, 2007, he gave his final lecture.  It was part of a lecture series where academic types were asked to give a lecture as if it were their last...what would they say?  They had to talk about what really mattered to them, and what kind of wisdom they would pass on if it were their last chance.  His topic was "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."

I watched the entire 1 hour and 44 minutes of this lecture, and I can tell you, it's worth the time.

The entire lecture, Professor Pausch was amazing, and his outlook is truly inspirational.  He's facing death, yet he's so positive about it.  He made wisecracks, jokes, and was simply fantastic during the lecture.

When he began to talk about his childhood dreams, he really shows how our dreams are attainable.  His whole life, he wanted to experience zero gravity, be a Disney Imagineer, and play professional football, among other things.  He discussed how he achieved his childhood dreams, although not necessarily in the same way he'd originally planned. 

A few things in his lecture stood out to me.  He spoke of how we, as humans, face brick walls.  We have a tendency to look at things like brick walls as things that keep us from our dreams and what we want.  He believes the walls are there to keep other people out...they are there to show us how much we want something, and what we're willing to do to get it.  I find that to be such an inspirational thought, and very insightful.  Talk about eternal optimism.

He also stated "Experience is what we get when we don't get what we wanted."  Wow. 

"When people stop riding you, it means they've given up on you."  We all face criticism, whether it's from peers, family, school, work, whatever.  We have a tendency to get mad about the criticism and how people are on us.  But it's because they want us to be the best people we can be.  We all have that potential.

Another quote from Professor Pausch that struck my very core was this one:  "We can't change the card we're dealt, just how we play the hand."  I was hit hard by that quote because I usually think that I am always getting the short end of the stick in just about every life situation.  But I can't change how things happen.  It's all about how I deal with those things.

I highly recommend you view the video.  I can guarantee it will awe and inspire you.  There are about ten parts to the video, so if you like the first part, just go into YouTube and type in "Randy Pausch."

                                  
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