Blog Post #7

Throughout life you meet, know or learn about certain people and their stories, and they stick with you forever. Randy Pausch's story is one of those for me that I will always remember. Mr. Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and doctors told him he only had 6 months left to live. After he found this news out he prepared a message that is known as "Randy Pausch's Last Lecture". Randy was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and was also married with three children. In the beginning of his lecture after he tells about his diagnoses he says, "We can not change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand". I loved how he said that with such optimism given the situation he was dealt. Mr. Pausch's speech is divided into three parts: His childhood dreams, enabling the childhood dreams of others, and lessons learned. Throughout each part of his lecture I felt I learned so much from this man and the perspective he puts on life and how we should live it. I am a huge believer in always helping others to be there best and Randy Pausch is such a great role model not only for me but everyone else.

Randy Pausch starts his lecture by telling about his own childhood dreams. He says that when he was a child he wanted to be in zero gravity, to be in the NFL, wanted to have an article in the World Encyclopedia, to meet Captain Kirk and to be a Disney Imagineer. He achieved all of these things except for playing in the NFL, but did play football in high school and says he learned about fundamentals and had great coaches. While talking about playing football and having a head strong coach Pausch said, "When you are screwing up and nobody's telling you, that means they've given up on you". I love that quote for so many reasons, I think it is so important for individuals to always have people guiding them and pushing them to be their best. Also Pausch talked about the importance of how people in the Education field should and should not talk to their students. After telling about a incident he had with a past professor of his Pausch states, "Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things".

The second part of Pausch's lecture he talk about ways to enable the childhood dreams of others and how he help enable the childhood dreams of his students. Mr. Pausch started his enabling by creating a class at his university called Building Virtual Worlds. This class had 50 students who all grouped up and had 5 projects a piece a semester. His student's did such good jobs every project that he did not know what he should say to them and a friend of his told him, "Do not set the bar for student's or the will not keep getting better". This really stuck out to me as a education major because it is very true. If we set standards for our student's they may never reach beyond that to their full potential. Pausch also created the Dream Fufillment Factory at his University that got student's jobs in their field fast. Pausch also states that "It is important to focus on people and learn how to work in groups", which is true not only for student's but for every person in their daily life. The Alice program was also another program Pausch created that teaches millions of kids learn hard things while they are having fun.

In the last part of Pausch's lecture he talks about lessons learned. Pausch talks about the roles of parents, mentors, students, family, and friends. He says to make sure whatever your doing with your life to always have fun and to never lose the child like wonder inside of you. He also talked about how to get other people to help you, by being loyal, earnest, truthful and apologetic. Pausch said that it is important to think of other's before yourself, saying "When you do the right thing good stuff has a way of happening". Being a true believer in karma myself, I totally agree with the way Pausch thinks.

At the end of Pausch's lecture he tells the audience two things they did not realize about his lecture. He says that the lecture was not about how to achieve your goals but how to lead your life and he says that the lecture is for his children and not them. I am so glad that Dr. Strange assigned this video for us to watch, it was such an uplifting and moving experience. I think that the main thing I learned from Pausch's story is to always be grateful for what I have and to life every day to the fullest. I am so glad I watched this lecture and strive to now lead my life how Randy Pausch hopes that other's will from seeing his lecture.