Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
The theme for this lecture was "what would you teach if you were teaching your last lecture?" Dr. Pausch chose to teach how to enable the dreams of others and how to learn from these lessons of life. He stresses the importance of having specific dreams, and throughout his life, he met many brick walls in his pursuance of his dreams. He characterized this brick wall throughout the lecture as being a definite obstacle - for those who were unwilling to surpass it; they're presented to stop the people who don't want to pass them badly enough; these brick walls show your dedication and allows you to prove just how badly you want something. Dr. Pausch undoubtedly faced many - and still is today, but he says that "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

Dr. Pausch says that the best way to get anyone to learn is through a "head fake": teach hidden values as an indirect lesson. Hard work, sportsmanship, perseverance, and teamwork aren't taught directly - but playing football is the best way to teach them. The best way to teach these values is to make them think they're learning something else: something fun. Also, give feedback. The best gift an educator can give is to teach the students how to be self-reflective. This way, students can receive their feedback, interpret it, listen to it, cherish it, and USE it. Results may not be immediate, but "if you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you."

Sometimes NOT achieving your goals is just as influential: it's all about what you learn from the experience - "because that's what you get when you don't get what you want." It's important to remember who helped you get to where you are now: teachers, parents, friends, colleagues, and students deserve their credit in your success. The best way to get the most out of what you're experiencing is just to HAVE FUN. "Never lose the child-like wonder" because with children, there are no boundaries; they see no limits, and Dr. Pausch even points out that the biggest disservice you can do to a student is to set a bar or boundary anywhere for them. Also, help others, be good at something, don't bail, show gratitude, don't complain, work harder, and find the best in everybody - no matter how long it takes.

This was probably the most inspirational, relevant lecture I've ever heard. It was full of personal, touching examples, and Dr. Pausch really knew how to utilize them. It actually brought tears to my eyes when he brought out the birthday cake for his wife and had the entire audience sing to her. This was his way of showing how important it is to focus on others, not yourself. I learned a lot from this lecture - because of the head fake he implemented! This lecture was not about how to achieve your dreams; it was about how to lead your life: "Lead it the right way, and Karma will take care of the rest. Your dreams will come to you."

I was especially touched when he revealed the biggest head fake: this lecture wasn't for anyone in the audience... it was for his children.

I would recommend this video to anyone. It definitely IS worth the time.