Carnegie Mellon University has a lecture series called "The Last Lecture," which is traditionally for professors who are retiring to give their final lecture to the students. Randy Pausch stepped on that same stage in 2007, but instead of retiring, he was dying from pancreatic cancer. His lecture has now been published into a book as well as on YouTube, and contains quotes that can apply to anyone's life.
1. "Don't complain, just work harder."
Everyone complains. It's a part of human nature, we tend to talk about the things that we cannot change and how unfair they are. However, this quote helps to highlight what most people already know about complaining- it doesn't change anything. So, instead of being upset about not understanding something, go to the teacher and ask. Instead of stressing about money, get online and search for a job. Complaining doesn't help us, it just makes us less motivated to do something about it.
2. "When you see yourself doing something badly and no one is telling you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care."
This one says a little something about having faith in others. When we do something bad and no one says anything, we often feel as if we have "gotten away" with our less than par behavior. However, when no one points out what we are doing wrong, what it really reveals is their lack of faith that we can do any better. Always accept criticism, and learn from it.
3. "Go out and do for others what somebody did for you."
This one is simple- pay it forward. I've found that the first part of our lives is often spend receiving things. We take all of our parent's energy, our teacher's time, and our family's money. As I've gotten older, I've realized how important it is to give back the kind acts that others have given to me.
4. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."
The chances of getting everything we want in life are slim, but often what comes out of these moments is more valuable than what we had been hoping for. Our experiences are often the things that teach us lessons and allow us to grow into better people, just as Randy discusses how never achieving his dream of playing in the NFL taught him more valuable lessons about hard work and teamwork.
5. "No job should be beneath us. And if you can't (or won't) sort mail, where is the proof that you can do anything?"
Kids today are often very privileged (I find myself falling into it as well). Our parents took any job that would pay them enough to get by and didn't think twice about, yet we believe that we can turn things down that we are "too good" for. Every skill is important, and whether it is a high school student who thinks they are too "cool" to work a certain job or a CEO who is afraid to get their hands dirty, it is time we all learn how to sort some mail.
6. "A good apology is like an antibiotic, a bad apology is like pouring salt in the wound."
Have you ever had someone sincerely apologize to you? Even though what they did might have stung, knowing they want to make things right sometimes puts you at a better place than you started at. On the other hand, when someone gives an apology that they don't mean, it makes the gap between the two of you even larger. Choose your words carefully and say things with intention.
7. "Walls are not put in our lives to stop us, they are there to test how much we really want something."
Technically, nothing is impossible. It might be REALLY hard to do, but the more that we want it, the easier it seems. As the common saying states, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Our skills don't have much use if we aren't willing to go at a task with everything that we've got, no matter how qualified we are for that task.
8. "Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity."
Randy talks in his lecture about the different ways in which he achieved his childhood dreams, and many of them happened by him being prepared for anything. One example was his dream to work as an Imagineer for Disney, and because he was prepared when they needed him for a job, he was able to take the opportunity and fulfill his dream.
9. "Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you."
It is very easy to judge someone the first time we meet them, but the more that we learn about them, the more we get a real sense of who they are. Everyone has a redeeming quality, even if it isn't what you thought that it would be.
10. "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
Randy lived a life much shorter than he should have, and even though he achieved many of his dreams, he still will never get to see his children grow up or stand by his wife. Even so, he took the last few months of his life and did everything he could in order to prepare them for his death and leave his mark on the world. In making the best of his situation, he not only helped his own family, but thousands of people to be able to look at life from a new perspective.
