“THE LAST LECTURE” BY DR. RANDY PAUSCH

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“THE LAST LECTURE” BY DR. RANDY PAUSCH
In the talk given by Dr. Randy Pausch entitled “The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”. It was very refreshing and applicable to viewers and listeners of all ages. Surprisingly, despite Dr. Randy Pausch being diagnosed with cancer, his talk did not focus on his illness or death but instead, it was full of life, hope, and dreams. Dr. Pausch listed his childhood dreams, and it ranged from simple dreams such as winning stuffed animals to professional careers, such as playing in the NFL or being a Disney imaginer. He even has becoming Captain Kirk from Star Trek and being in zero gravity on the list, and you would think that these dreams on the list seem close to impossible. However, he was able to show the audience how he turned these seemingly far-fetched dreams into his reality.
He shared bits and pieces of his life, and what happened to each of his dream on the list. He achieved all of them, except for one which was to play in the NFL, but even with this “failure”, he was able to make the most of the experience and learn something from it. He even admits that not living that dream had taught him more than achieving the others on the list did. Being involved in football at a young age, he had the opportunity to work with various coaches and people who taught him about the importance of criticisms, listening, and the concept of head fakes or indirect learning, which will be useful later on in his journey. The way that he presented his life story on how he achieved his childhood dreams were very relatable and was not as smooth sailing as one would hope it to be, but he emphasized that “Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things. Brick walls are there to stop the people who do not want it badly enough”.
One of the constants in the stories of Dr. Randy Pausch is other people. He also believed that you could not achieve your dreams alone. He valued the presence of other people in his life, whether they are family, mentors, workmates, friends, students, etc. He was always reminded of what Jon Snoddy told him which was “If you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you.” and true enough he was surrounded by people who helped and supported him in reaching his dreams. Aside from the presence and support of other people, he also shared with the audience how it was not just simple luck or the fact that he is academically inclined that enabled him to live his dreams, but it was also ...