The picture on the left is of Dr. Randy Pausch giving his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Pausch expects to die of pancreatic cancer in a few months, and this lecture wasn’t just for the audience… it was for his three young children when they get older, so they can know what kind of person he was and what he believed in. Dr. Pausch is a natural showman, and his light-hearted talk (see video) about how to achieve your childhood dreams has already spread through the internet and touched the hearts of millions of people.
One of the main messages of the talk was to work hard for what you want, be good to people, and enjoy life to the fullest. Don’t complain about setbacks, just work harder. “The brick walls aren’t there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how much we want something.” Be grateful for criticism and use it wisely. If you live your life the right way you don’t have to chase success. It will come to you.
His no-complaining, live-life-to-the-fullest approach has inspired people to change their lives. Thousands have already told him that (Wall Street Journal video essay). Since the talk he has been on Good Morning America, CBS News and was Person of the Week on ABC. But the most touching part of the whole story, for me, was the April 17, 2007 entry on another website, the one where he kept people informed of his progress fighting the cancer. In it he said he tries to keep a positive attitude, but couldn’t be sure about how he was doing. Then he received this e-mail:
… I happened to have been behind you for a few blocks as you were driving from campus last night (Monday). Before I recognized it was you, I found myself thinking, “Gee that guy is really enjoying the moment…..driving down the road on a warm, early spring evening, top down, wind blowing through his hair, with a smile on his face…..probably headed home to a wife and maybe a little one or two……that’s the way to live life.”. And then you turned left and I recognized it was you. I then found myself thinking, “It’s Randy! He looks so happy! And, in this most private of public moments (alone in his car, yet on the road for anyone to observe), I can’t imagine anyone who IS living life more. No one is more deserving!”. Thanks for sharing your happiness/your life so fully with so many of us…….on campus and in your car. You can never know how that glimpse of you tonight made my day, reminding me of what life really is all about…”
Randy Pausch has been through a lot, and he’s facing some grim times ahead. But he believes life is precious and is determined to enjoy it and celebrate it as much as possible. What about you? How are you honoring and celebrating your own gift of life? This site is about sharing, so please tell us your thoughts in the comments section.
Photo by wil_p via Flickr. Creative Commons license.
What an inspiring story. I think we can all learn many lessons from him. It seems a shame to live our life any other way but to the fullest – isn’t it sad how something so simple and obvious can be so hard. It’s all about perspective, isn’t it?
Thanks for coming by, Erin. I suppose the real question is “What’s the payoff for not doing it?” There must be one or else everyone would be a lot happier in life. I think our society does tend to reward the victim mentality, so that attitude probably contributes. I know in my classes/support groups people would initially come in with a victim story, honestly thinking that what support groups were all about.
Jean, this is such an touching story. I saw the video courtesy of another site (in fact, I have seen it posted on quite a few), but that entry that you came across and shared in this post is particularly inspiring.
Very touching. Thank you for sharing the email!
Cheers,
Greg
http://www.ChangeStartsToday.com
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I am thoroughly touched by this blog.
You are also doing a job to mankind for sharing this message. I think if life is not enjoyed fully it would be a waste.
One way to enjoy life is to have positive thoughts about everything happening around you.
Cheers.
Abu.
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Thanks for alerting me to this wonderful man and message. Sometimes I just get so caught up in the ‘frustration’ or business of the moment, I forget to look at the joy..This reminds me of what is important.
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I’ll be 75 in Mar. I never understood the phrase “It’s later than you think,” until now. I enjoy life, but I could do better at it. I think it’d happen by spending more time with friends. But it pulls me down if I don’t get done what I expect of myself. (Only 24 hr. days)
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Good points. I used to spend alot of my time water skiing and watching sports. It was possibly the most memorable period of my past and your info somehow brought back us of that period of my life. Cheers
one time i read in a book, can’t remember the title, can’t remember the exact question… but someone was asked what they wanted most in life… the answer i do rememer…
“i want to live well. and when it’s time, i want to die well.”
i was very young when i read that. i think about seventeen.
i thought about that simple statement many times throughout the years.
and having watched randy pausch live and die, i think i know what it means.