Over the years, I have often found myself falling down the YouTube rabbit hole, consuming countless hours of TED Talks, motivational speeches and lectures from great minds – household names who have changed the way we interact with the world around us. This week, I was lucky enough to watch an inspirational talk that is easily the best one I have seen yet. On September 18th, 2007, Professor Randy Pausch delivered his Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, Randy taught us the ingredients to achieving our dreams.
Once I finished the over hour-long ride, I wasn’t sure where to begin in summarizing my reaction. The first thing I did was send the video to my brother, because I just wanted more people in my life to experience Randy’s wisdom. The second thing I did was look at the notes I had scribbled while watching – a few short quotes and the titles of various concepts he had bestowed upon me.
“Brick walls let us prove how badly we want things.”
The words Randy spoke during his Last Lecture taught me something that I had not understood an hour before I started watching. It was that I want to lead my life like Randy Pausch. Hearing the wildly different childhood dreams that he had, and how he achieved them all through being himself, and having fun, was eye-opening.
I also came to the realization that this was the perfect time in my life to watch this lecture. I am currently in the final year of the Interactive Multimedia Major, and soon I will be venturing into the “real world”. While this fact is extremely anxiety-inducing, Randy’s words helped me understand that I can reach out and grab the tools needed to build my dreams. All it takes is a willingness to work hard, be loyal, never stop learning or challenging myself, and to have fun.
“It’s not about how to achieve your dreams, it’s about how to lead your life”
I want to use Randy’s teachings to help my Senior Thesis Project, as well as future ventures in my life. His words about Head Fake Learning deeply resonated with me, and will remember this concept when building my website for thesis and on my free time. People learning, without realizing they had an educational experience, is a magical thing.
Perhaps the remarkable clarity of Randy’s lecture came from a perspective he gained while facing his tragic diagnosis. All we have is time, but our time is limited. His legacy is far greater than a single lecture, but I will forever connect his name to this video, and forever be thankful to have experienced it.