Randy Pausch, a professor from my alum, Carnegie Mellon, with terminal cancer, gave his last lecture and interviewed by Diane Sawyer (clip available on-line). As a good professor, he was teaching important lessons on… life. He was also on Oprah, Parade, and USA Today. It’s just courageous to see how he dealt with the toughest challenge of his life. These are some of his messages:
- We cannot change the cards we're dealt with, just how we played the hands.
- Never lose the childhood wonder.
- Loyalty is a two way street.
- Be good at something it makes you valuable.
- It's important to have specific dreams.
- Dream big.
- Dream without fear.
- I have never found anger to make the situation better.
- Your critics are the ones who tell you they still love you and care.
- Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things.
- If you live your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself.
- When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you. You may not want to hear it, but your critics are often the ones telling you they still love you and care about you, and want to make you better.
- "When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do."
He has a blog and a book published. Through there, I watched another speech giving by another terminal cancer patient. When one has limited time on earth, it makes people realize what’s more important in life and bring clarity to life.
- How do you go from where you are to where you want to go?
- You get to have dreams and goals.
- Keep your dreams alive despite of problems.
- Don't ever give up. Mind, heart and soul.
- Work hard to achieve your goals.
- Know the importance of family and support.
- Enjoy precious moments of life. Laugh. Think. Cry. Live.
