One of the most inspirational and heart warming speeches I’ve ever watched was Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture. He delivered it shortly before he died of pancreatic cancer in 2008. Within he talks about achieving your childhood dreams and accomplishing goals. I encourage you to watch it and I provide these notes as a reference to check back on if you need a quick reminder of his inspiration.

  • “Have specific dreams” – choose dreams that are specific and realistic. Instead of becoming an astronaut, Randy’s specific dream was to experience zero-gravity. Don’t choose dreams that are big picture, choose specific ones because accomplishing them will get you what you want anyways.
  • “If you’re goofing off and no ones saying anything, then that means they’ve given up on you” – if you’re getting yelled at or criticized about your work, it simply means that person cares about your success, when it stops you’re in a bad place.
  • “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted”
  • We are in an age of cynicism
  • Brick walls [in life] are not there to stop us, they are there to prove how badly we want something. They separate us from those that don’t really want to achieve.
  • There’s always another way to say something that’s better, kinder, and more professional. “I don’t know anything about this, it doesn’t sound like a good idea, we should reconsider” OR “I don’t know anything about this, but you look excited, tell me more”. Keep this as a note, if someone seems excited or passionate about something, NEVER simply brush it off.
  • If someone considers you a mentor, or someone reports to you with completed projects and they totally blow you away. Understand that “the bar” should never be set by you. Respond simply, “you did good, but I think you can do better”. Even though it may be amazing work, you’d only be doing them a disservice of setting the bar. Let them continue to advance and set the bar themselves.
  • You can use body language to tell how good something will be by the team that’s developing it. If they are standing close and comfortable around each other (they’ve become friends throughout the development cycle), then the project will be good.
  • If you’re going to pioneer something (eSports, hint hint) then expect to get arrows in the back (or the knee). If something can go wrong, it will, so be ready and expect it.
  • If you are retiring or stepping down from something, find someone the force is strong with to hand if off to (someone who is even better than you).
  • A Right Brain / Left Brain team. Perhaps I should find someone who matches my weaknesses. Getting help and building a team is important, don’t brush it off.
  • Be humble.
  • He had a bar chart that polled your fellow students and displayed how easy you were to work with, in front of the whole class. You could see how you stacked up and it was hard to ignore that kind of data.
  • If we all chip in, even just a little bit, it helps the world become a better place. Donating a small amount or helping even just a single person can really change things.
  • “It’s a shame people perceive you as so arrogant, because it’s going to limit the things you can do in life” instead of “you’re a jerk to people”
  • Respect authority while questioning them
  • Expose yourself to all ages and types of people whenever possible because you never know what someone will teach you
  • Loyalty is a two way street.
  • Stick to your principles. Be honest. Be earnest. Apologize when you screw up. Show gratitude.
  • Be good at something, it makes you valuable. Work hard and people will ask “what’s your secret?” Find the best in everybody, no one is all evil. Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.

If there’s anything important I missed, be sure to leave a comment and I’ll add them.