Learnings from Randy Pausch

An year or so back, I had seen a video of "Dying 47-Year-Old Professor Gives Exuberant ‘Last Lecture’". The video was an awesome watch. There were so many things that you could learn from the lecture. So many insights, it was great. Last week, I re-read the transcript of the lecture, forwarded by my friend and I was again filled with an urge to take down "notes".

Below are a few points that I noted down from the 1 hour 44 min lecture given by Randy Pausch.

• We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
• Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.
• Be good at something. It makes you valuable
• The brick walls are there for a reason. 
• The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people!
• Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
• Head fake - The best way to teach somebody something is to have them think they're learning something else.
• When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to tell you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care.
• Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you.
• Quoting Jon Snoddy, he said, when you are pissed off at somebody, and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time. Just give them a little more time and they'll almost always impress you.
• It's very important to know when you're in a pissing match. And it's very important to get out of it as quickly as possible.
• Respect authority while questioning it.
• Never lose the child-like wonder.
• You get people to help you by telling the truth; by being earnest. I'll take an earnest person over a hip person every day, because hip is short-term, earnest is long term.
• Tell the truth.
• Be earnest.
• Apologize when you screw up.
• Focus on other people, not on yourself.
• Show gratitude.
• Don't complain; just work harder.
• Find the best in everybody.
• Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.
• It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our death bed. It is the things we do not. Find your passion and follow it.

Randy gave this speech in sept 2007. It is amazing how much enthusiasm he has and how much he has achieved in his life. I wish many of us also could learn from the things that he has mentioned in his lecture.