The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
"What wisdom would you impart upon the world if you knew your demise was to be immediate ?" "What matters most to you?"
College professors are frequently asked to plan a lecture with these questions in mind. The searing difference between Randy Pausch's last lecture and all of the others? Prior to the lecture, Randy was told he really did have only a couple of months to live.
I originally wrote what I called a synopsis of Randy's book The Last Lecture on July 20, 2008. A disappointed anonymous Google user voiced an opinion in the comment section. He or she basically said that my writing was not a synopsis. I agree. And as I was about to write a review for the book The Comet & The Tornado, a book written by Randy's colleague, I thought no, I need to do a better job with The Last Lecture first. One of Randy's life lessons is to learn from our mistakes. I will attempt to do that now.
The title of Randy's Last Lecture, which can be seen here on You Tube is Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. One of the things that I look for in a book is a connection to the author and his work. There is no relevance in my life to childhood dreams, much less achieving them. On that alone I could have passed on this book. But I had seen a portion of Randy's lecture. He is a magnificent and captivating storyteller. I had to read the book. I did...with much joy. By the book's end I had become a victim to a teaching technique that Randy calls the head fake and by that point I had connected with Randy in a major way.
Randy starts off discussing the opportunity to give the Last Lecture, should he do it in lieu of his circumstances, how his wife Jai weighs in on the opportunity and what makes him unique - what sets him apart -what would he speak about. Finally he determined that his life accomplishments were rooted in his childhood dreams and the ability to fulfill most of them.
Randy goes on to talk about how nurturing, supportive and influential his parents were. He spoke of one time when he wanted to paint things on his bedroom walls. His parents asked what kind of things. He said things that mattered to him. And then they let him. This type of parenting forged Randy into the successful adult that he turned into.
The following chapters are devoted to specific childhood dreams and how Randy was able to achieve most of them, with lessons learned along the way. Randy dreamed of:
- moving about in zero gravity
- playing in the NFL
- authoring a World Book Encyclopedia article
- being Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek
- being a Disney Imagineer
- winning big, stuffed animals
Randy's journey to becoming a Disney Imagineer was rather unique and he uses the story to illustrate how running into the metaphorical brick wall should not stop us from doing something. He says that brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.
The next set of chapters are titled Adventures...And Lessons Learned. Here Randy tells us when he learned that his cancer was terminal, how his mentor Andy van Dam so eloquently called him a jerk, his relationship with his niece and nephew, meeting and romancing Jai, his father's Bronze Star and a few other stories.
The next section is titled Enabling the Dreams of Others. Randy shares key time management points, the importance of being able to judge ourselves for true growth, a story about Tommy Burnett, a student who went onto work on three Star War's movies, the development of the Education Technology Center (better known as the dream-fulfillment factory) at Carnegie Mellon and how his students excelled and a storytelling tool named Alice.
In the section titled It's About How to Live Your Life, Randy's stories drill into the essence of how to be a decent human being. He says to be earnest not hip, work harder, treat the disease not the symptom, find ways to work together with people, look for the best in everybody, be prepared and don't give up, write than-you notes, be loyal, apologize when need be, tell the truth, smell crayons and learn, communicate, and if you want something, ask. As you read through the rest of Randy's stories here you can't help but to compare him with Dale Carnegie.
Randy concludes by discussing dreams for his children, his relationship with Jai and the head fake. Earlier in the book, Randy describes how his football coach Jim Graham, was able to teach and get his players to learn - without them realizing it at first. This was one form of the head fake. The other was a type of indirect learning. He uses football as an example. The players learn the techniques and intricacies of the game, but the head fake results when they also learn about teamwork, sportsmanship, the ability to deal with adversity, etc. You'll have to read The Last Lecture to learn about the specific head fakes that Randy uses here.
The thing that I admired most about Randy was his commitment and devotion to his family. Past that it was that he went through life - eyes wide open...observing, recording and learning from experiences and people.
If you are a manager, parent or teacher, you have the opportunity to be of influence. Impart Randy's life lessons upon your contingent and encourage them to paint things upon their bedroom walls. Be a dream supporter and build your legacy along the way.
Visit the Last Lecture website here.
