The Last Lecture

You've probably heard of the Carnegie Mellon Professor who delivered something that is apparently fairly common in academic circles. It's called the last lecture.

Professors are asked to consider their demise, and then ruminate about what matters most to them. For a lot of them, this often involves the exploration of the use of semi-colons in the fourth folio of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I. Mind-numbing stuff.

But when Randy Pausch delivered his lecture on September 17, 2007, he had something else in mind. He delivered his last lecture with the knowledge that he was, at just 47 years old, dying of pancreatic cancer.

Doctors had given him 3 to 6 months to live.

So the topic he chose was: "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."

Here are some of the lessons that he shared.

1. Don’t get upset when people are criticizing you. When you are screwing up and no one is saying anything to you, it means that everyone has given up on you.

2. Brick walls are there to give us a chance to show us how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop people who don’t want it badly enough.

3. It’s very important to know when you are in a pissing match and to get out quickly.

4. Decide if you are a Tigger or an Eyore.

5. Loyalty is a two-way street.

6. Don’t complain. Jackie Robinson signed a contract that said he wasn’t allowed to complain, even when people spit on him.

7. Have something to bring to the table.

8. Do something young enough and train for it, then it becomes a part of you. This includes success.

9. Wait long enough, sometimes a very long time, and people will surprise and impress you.

10. Be of service to others.

You can click on the link above to watch the lecture on YouTube (it lasts slightly over an hour) and you can pick up the book as a chaser.

Over the weekend, I did both.

You'll be captivated by him. What is so riveting about watching him, is how he is living, rather than dying. He's engaged, funny, smart and thoughtful. He was born to teach.

Pausch lost his battle with cancer on July 25th of this year.