The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

At Carnegie Mellon University professors are asked to give lecture on what wisdom they could give when they know that this is going to be their Last Lecture.

Had you been a professor what would you do given this kind of opportunity, well you would try to give your best!!!!!.
However no one would ever be able to deliver the best they could, unless and otherwise they knew that this is really going to be their Last Lecture, and how do any one know that this is going to be their Last Lecture unless they could peep into future and see why they wont be able to do this.

But there are exceptions like Dr.Randy Pausch. Dr. Pausch took the podium just months after receiving a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer in August 2006, he passed away on July 26, 2008 at his home surrounded by his wife and three children.

When he was requested for the Last Lecture. He hesitated, then went ahead with the lecture, on Sept. 18, 2007, he learned he had months to live. Have a look what he did in his Last Lecture on youtube here... which got record number of hits from all over the globe.

He spoke about:
1) His childhood dreams and how he achieved them
2) Helping other achieve their childhood dreams
3) He spoke of his love for his wife whom he noted would soon be his widow and had a birthday
cake for her wheeled on stage as last day it was her birthday and he could not do any thing as
he was busy preparing for this lecture, so he decided to celebrate her birthday along with the
huge crowd on the next. His wife broke into tears on the state as it was a surprise for her.
4) He spoke of their three young children, saying he had made his decision to speak mostly to
leave them a video memory

Few statements he made:
1) You cannot change the cards you are dealt. Just how you play the hand.
2) Don't complain. Just work harder.
3) Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.
4) Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
5) The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick
walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are
there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough.

His last statement :
"Did you figure out the head fake? It's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way ... the dreams will come to you. Did you figure out the second head fake? The talk's not for you. It's for my kids."

Randy's Diary :
Have a look at Randy's diary here...

-sun