Book & Video: The Last Lecture
A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave–”Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.
“Almost all of us have childhood dreams: for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center (etc.cmu.edu), of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams. This talk will discuss how I achieved my childhood dreams (being in zero gravity, designing theme park rides for Disney, and a few others), and will contain realistic advice on how *you* can live your life so that you can make your childhood dreams come true, too.”
by Randy Pausch
Randy’s Website
Buy Randy’s Book: The Last Lecture at Amazon
Published by Charlie on April 29th, 2008
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Nice things to say…
My mother always said “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anthing at all.” It’s stuck with me as a wise practice, even if I didn’t always abide by it. 
As I’ve worked in the same career for over a decade, I’ve run into people that I’ve worked with years before, or that have worked with people I have worked with. They have been unoffical references for job positions, client/agency relationships and even personal relationships. I don’t know if any negative “references” have prevented things from happening in my life, but I’m sure that positive references have played a large role in good things happening to me.
It brings me back to my mom’s wisdom… keep what you say about people positive, and hopefully they will return the favor. You never know what may depend on it.
Published by Charlie on June 23rd, 2007
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Keep your interest on simple things.
Keep your interest on simple things. These are always at hand. Do not get in the habit of demanding the extraordinary for your satisfaction. Life becomes a tremendously interesting adventure when one learns how to live, for instance, like the great naturalists, with the mind busy in the always marvelous world of colors, sounds, frangrances and sights that are available at every moment. If you situate yourself in harmony with the world as those men do, each moment of our life will become a pleasant journey through a road of pleasures at hand.
D. John Schindler
Published by Charlie on May 23rd, 2007
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Two Wolves
A Native American story from the Cherokee nation:
The Cherokee believed that within each person was a battle between two wolves. Sitting with his grandson, a grandfather explained that one of the wolves was evil and was driven by anger, envy, regret, ego and the worship of war.
The other wolf was good, and was driven by love, hope compassion and the promise of peace.
Thinkng about the wolves already growing within him, the boy asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?”
And the old man replied, “The one you feed.”
As told by Willie Nelson.
Published by Charlie on April 21st, 2007
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Book: A Guide to Happiness in Your Heart
I’m in the middle of reading Willie Nelson’s book on life… I’m not a big country music fan, but I think what Willie Nelson brings is beyond that.
He speaks with wisdom and a whole lot of humor about being true to yourself in finding out what you want to accomplish in your life. Here are a few thoughts that I really like:
It took me a while to realize this, but more than anything else, the things you believe in are what make you the person you are.
I’m a firm believer in the power of positive thinking, and in the wisdom and guidance found in your own heart.
If you forgive your enemies, it messes up their heads.
Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.
Order and enjoy it: The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart
Published by Charlie on April 21st, 2007
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Failure is learning…
Nothing fails as much as success… becuase we do not learn anything from it.
The only thing that is useful for us to learn something is failure. Think about that.
Without failure we can not learn anything; however, we have learned to consider success as a tresure and as the only possible goal.
We have the tendency of avoiding all those experiences that can end in failure.
There is fear of the unknown, and fear of the disapproval that can lead you to not exerting effort.
Think about Thomas Edison. If he had used his failure in any of the jobs that he started as an indication of his self-esteem, after his first unsuccessful intent, he would have abandoned himself, he would have announced he was a failure and renouced his efforts to light the world.
Kanaelh Bouldug