In his “Last Lecture”, professor Dr Randy Pausch shares some of his most important life lessons before he died of cancer in 2008.
In front of a filled auditorium, Pausch immediately explains that he’s dying of cancer — with only months left to live — but instead of talking about death, he talks about life and the challenges it brings. Perhaps the best wisdom in the speech regards what Pausch calls “brick walls”: barriers that aren’t there to hold you back, but to prove how badly you want something. He says:
“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.”
With the experience you earn from life by not getting what you want, you can learn to break down the barriers between you and what you really do want. The brick walls are in place to keep out those who don’t want it bad enough. The complete Last Lecture runs over an hour in length — and is absolutely worth a watch — but if you only have a little time, the abridged version can be seen here. Save it and watch it when you have time.
Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams [YouTube]
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