Lessons Learned from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture (part 2)

“The rungs on the ladder of life are not meant for stopping or clinging to; they are meant to support you just long enough to reach higher.”
Robert K. Cooper

As I’ve contemplated Randy’s story over the last week, I have had the opportunity to really reflect on life and its meaning and importance. I think the thoughts that come to us as we face the reality of the fleetingness of life are important because they help us put things into perspective and think more clearly. Randy’s story is a good reminder that life is a special gift that we must take full advantage of each day. From Randy’s life and others, we can learn some very valuable lessons that we must internalize and pass on to others. These lessons are:

1. We Are Unique

No one in this world ever has or ever will be exactly like you, or me, or anyone else. We are completely unique individuals and thus we have the capacity to leave a unique mark on the world that no one else can. Leaving our own distinct impression on the world based on our unique talents and abilities is a responsibility each of us has. Thus, our one-of-a-kind capabilities must not go to waste but must be developed and shared with others before our time comes to an end.

2. We Must Follow Our Heart

There are many things to do in this life but we must follow those good pursuits that we are most drawn to. Often we don’t follow our heart out of fear, laziness, lack of confidence, apathy, or other reasons but we must learn to overcome these negative feelings and follow our hearts desires. As we follow the good desires of our heart, we will be able to put our whole energy, focus, and mind into what we are doing—giving back and contributing the most we are able to, to this world. By following our hearts we stay true to ourselves and live a rewarding and fulfilling life.

3. We Should Focus on Becoming

Too often in life we focus on ourselves, often worrying selfishly about what we are getting. In life, rather than focusing on what we get, we should focus on what we become. Focusing on what we are becoming as opposed to what we are getting is a key to reaching our potential and finding happiness during our time in life.

4. Our Impact Lasts

Our simple decisions today can and will impact generations to come. For example, our decision to pursue an education even under difficult circumstances may result in a family tradition of future generations also pursing their education. Just as one domino in a domino chain impacts all the others that come after it, we to influence all those who come after us by our decisions. It is important that we are making wise and prudent decisions such as following our hearts and focusing on what type of person we are becoming. Our decisions and influence will extend to our families far beyond our current comprehension. We all leave a lasting impact!

We can learn a lot from Randy Paush’s example and inspirational Last Lecture about what truly matters in life. As we learn and teach these lessons to others, we will become better individuals and leaders. There is much wisdom in these simple lessons, yet most of the world fails to think about, internalize, and/or try to follow them. I hope we all can take full advantage of these “lessons learned” in order to reach our full potential and leave our unique mark on the world.

Below is Randy Pausch’s last lecture: