The Last Lecture

We had the assignment this week of reading or watching a lecture given by Randy Pausch at Carnegie Melon called “The Last Lecture”.   What made this such a special speech was that at the beginning of the lecture, Randy Pausch shared with the audience that in his case this most like would be his last lecture.  He had cancer and knew that he had months to live.  With this perspective, he shared those lessons and experiences that had shaped and enriched his life.  He began by sharing his childhood dreams and how having those dreams gave his life direction and propelled him forward.  His dreams were as simple as winning stuffed animals at a fair to harder goals of being in zero gravity.  He outlined how having these dreams helped him in pursuing opportunities even when he would seemingly hit a brick wall.  

The lecture was inspiring.  How amazing would it be to be able to give the last lecture of your life and know that you have accomplished great and worthy things in your life.  His talk showed how important dreaming is.  You need to think big and not be afraid if your dream sounds silly or hollow to someone else.  I liked how he dreamed of being a Disney Imagineer.  He shared the rejection letters that he had received when he had first applied.  Years later an opportunity presented itself that would let him work with Disney.  He pursued it and made it happen even if it wasn’t how he had imagined working with Disney when he was younger.  I don’t think he would have been as persistent if he hadn’t had that dream.

Honestly, I am very blessed in that my only real childhood dream was to have a stable home and family.  I have both now.  Although I have achieved that goal, I still dream.  I still look for mentor or people I want to follow their success.  My current dream is to finish my college degree.  I feel so blessed to finally be on this path.