Squinting to See the Rainbow: Randy Pausch
Table of contents for Possibility Thinking
Update: I wrote the post below 8 months ago. Since then, Randy has been on Oprah and the cover of every magazine imaginable. You can read how he is doing on his journey here. This guy is an incredible example of a possibility thinker. I try to emulate him. As you read his story, I think you will see why.
This morning on the way to work I heard Bill Handel on 640 KFI am radio talking about The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch that took place at Carnegie Mellon University. It has become a trendy thing now for universities to have these lecture series with famous professors who “pretend” this is their last lecture, including all the wisdom they can muster. Usually these lectures draw in people from all over and they charge quite a bit for attendance.
At Carnegie Mellon a few days ago there was a “last lecture” that got the biggest turnout yet, probably because the 40-something lecturer Randy Pausch has invented an incredible software well known in the industry that teaches kids programming through 3D cartoon images. Unfortunately he won’t be able to see just how well it does because he has been given only 6 months to live with liver cancer. He amazingly still cracks joke better than a standup at the Improv.
As I listened to him lecture in a humorous “fun” way, I wiped back tears. This man, not much older than me and also with a family, is facing the biggest brick wall and limitaton to possibility thinking one can imagine, and yet he is still giving wisdom, joy, and wit to those of us who will remain. If anyone had an excuse to curl up and become a toxic person, it is this man. Still, he CHOOSES to live with an open mind toward the possibilities left in his life. Despite the storm, he is squinting to see the rainbow and I truly applaud him as a hero for that. At the KFI website this morning I was lucky to find a link to his “last lecture” (literally in his case). If you are interested in RAW words of inspiration from an in incredible guy you can watch this wmv video of the speech and hear this AMAZING thinker speak at length about possibility thinking. If you have the time, it is worth it. I am dedicating this post of the series to Randy Pausch and his family.
Video of the Speech:
Visit Randy Pausch’s Website: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/
Please bookmark and share to help promote this post.
Rosemarie
wrote,
Awesome! Many are giving wisdom and inspiring us to “live.” When time permits, I will listen and comment.
Link | September 21st, 2007 at 10:14 am
Damien Riley
wrote,
Cool Rosemarie. It’s not an evangelical video by any means, but it really really speaks to the thought of living in the here and now, which should be a Christian trait. Of course I hope Randy finds the Lord in his final days but the reason I posted his speech was to show an example of positive possibility thinking at its best. You don’t have to be Christian to be a possibility thinker, even though it was Rev. Schuller who coined the term! Let me know what you think. The video really humbles me.
Link | September 21st, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Rosemarie
wrote,
It never crossed my mind if the speaker was an Evangelical. It would be okay, but not a prerequisite. There are many from different backgrounds that speak the truth. I always let my “inner voice” let me know what’s up. I don’t need an announcement before hand what or who you represent. I can figure it out sooner than most. But hey, thanks for the info!
Link | September 21st, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Rosemarie
wrote,
I still don’t have time! :(
Link | September 21st, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Damien Riley
wrote,
No worries. You get the gist in my post. I enjoyed it, but my wife thought it was a little long to get the point.
Link | September 21st, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Jessica The Rock Chick
wrote,
Hey Damien,
I haven’t seen the video yet. I’ll have to get on one of the kids computers to see it. I only use Macs—
I’m sure this won’t surprise you, but I’m a living in the here and now believer. After losing my father and my brother at terribly young ages, you really have to make the most of each day you have here.
Not that M*A*S*H* is probably a great source for quoting this kind of stuff, but I remember one episode where everybody was moaning about being in Korea and they all wanted to be at home. Colonel Potter said you have to be where you are right now. If your head isn’t where you are right now, then you are no place….or something like that…but it’s true.
I’ll be sure to check out the video!
Jessica
Link | September 22nd, 2007 at 6:27 am
Damien Riley
wrote,
I already knew you were a possibility type thinker!!! Thanks for that enlightening comment using MASH . . . I love that show!
Link | September 22nd, 2007 at 9:37 am
Leave Work at Work | Cheese Enchiladas
wrote,
[...] be great at what we do. On the other hand, it’s the only way to look at it when you’re facing cancer or other catastrophic life event. Instead of waiting for something bad to happen, we could learn a [...]
Link | January 16th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Your page is now on StumbleUpon!
wrote,
[...] Your page is on StumbleUpon [...]
Link | May 14th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Ginger M
wrote,
When I first read a report about Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture, I cried my eyes out (it was more about the his illness than the content of his speech). I was therefore very hesitant to watch this video. I’m glad I did though, because his lecture is so full of humour and positivity — I had a good chuckle throughout and passed this page to some of my friends (with note of the length of the video : It is more than an hour long, but it’s really worth watching). He’s such an inspirational character, strong and with a generous heart.
Ginger Ms last blog post..Is It Time to Quit?
Link | May 15th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Damien Riley
wrote,
Hi Ginger, thanks for that comment. He is a real example to me that’s for sure. I’m glad you passed the video along, it has basic principles that can reall help us see life in a better, new way.
Link | May 15th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Pausch Didn't Let Brick Walls Stop Him
wrote,
[...] an amazing legacy of teaching and wisdom to all of us. I watched his Last Lecture months ago and wrote a post on it. Now, after his passing, I’ve seen the Diane Sawyer interview and I’ve watched the [...]
Link | August 12th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Imagineer I Know
wrote,
[...] on Walt Disney, Ray Kroc, Rod Serling, and many many more innovators. Watching the amazing Randy Pausch Last Lecture, I learned that the engineers at Disneyland are called “imagineers.” He is an [...]
Link | September 17th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Pausch Didn't Let Brick Walls Stop Him
wrote,
[...] an amazing legacy of teaching and wisdom to all of us. I watched his Last Lecture months ago and wrote a post on it. Now, after his passing, I’ve seen the Diane Sawyer interview and I’ve watched the Last [...]
Link | April 9th, 2009 at 9:44 pm