The Last Lecture (Professor Randy Pausch)

Attitude, Brick Wall, Career, Carnegie Mellon, Challenges in Life, Determination, Health, Inspiration, Jeffrey Zaslow, Life, Moving on, Quotation, Randy Pausch, Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, The Last Lecture, Video

The Last Lecture (Professor Randy Pausch)

bk
April 20, 2009

As promised, the details for the last post I did on Brick Wall. “Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things.” – Professor Randy Pausch.

This year, on my birthday, I received a special gift from a friend. My friend and his girlfriend gave me ‘The Last Lecture‘ by Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) with Jeffrey Zaslow. Randy Pausch was a Computer Science Professor at Carnegie Mellon. Some of you may have read the book already. It was first the lecture before the book. ‘The Last Lecture’ is a series of talks by Professors who were asked to imagine their demise and to give talks on what matters most to them.

However, for Professor Randy Pausch, he didn’t need to imagine it as his last since he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had only a few months left to live. His lecture was not about dying, but that of “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” Through his moving presentation, Professor Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

One of the points that sunk deep into me, like words set in stone, was the point he made about brick wall. If you watched ‘The Last Lecture’ video, which I have embedded here, he probably mentioned the brick wall about a dozen times. As he said, “Brick walls are there for a reason…” How true isn’t it?

Throughout our lives, we will have many brick walls. Some of which are invisible to the eyes like the emotional brick walls which we might build to protect ourselves and at the same times preventing others from reaching out to us. Such brick walls are the hardest to break through as it depends a lot on ourselves to break through them. And even before we can break through them, we have to be self-aware of these brick walls that we have built up around ourselves.

The other brick walls are often made of flesh; by our loved ones, our friends and people around us. It can be a challenge to break through these walls too especially when we knew that our loved ones and friends are concerned about us. However, being concerned about us doesn’t mean that they will always know what may be best for us. In this case, we not only have to break through the physical brick wall but also the emotional portion that comes with it.

However, as what Professor Randy Pausch said, “Brick walls are there for a reason…” They are there to test how much we wanted what we want. In his own words, “… The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

Are you facing any brick wall in your life now? Do remember that the brick wall is there for a reason.

———————————–
Get The Wall Street Journal for 75% off!

bk
Stalk me
Latest posts by bk (see all)
Share the joy
         

14 thoughts on “The Last Lecture (Professor Randy Pausch)”

  5. Sherxr

    I have a nagging question.. why do people build a wall between themselves.. even if he’s someone she has never met.. but based on his skin colour. She has erected a wall so tall that he can’t possibly climb over?

    What sad times we live in…

    Sherxrs last blog post..Tuesday Lunch: Creamy Mushroom Pasta

    1. Symphony of Love Post author

      @ Sher, why would people do that? I wouldn’t know exactly especially when there are so many reasons why people will do that. Because of stereotyping, we sometimes tend o associate certain people with certain habits or practices. Just as some people have always like to describe Chinese as Chinky eyes. And when I was in Philippines, the Filipinos thought that I am a Filipino too … until I opened my mouth to speak. Why do we stereotype? Perhaps, it is in human to generalize. Until we can really see people as they are, we will continue to stereotype.

  7. A.

    This is exactly what I needed to read just now! I have a project in mind and for it I need to contact Papillon, whose blog I translated 2 years ago (see my side bar). I am hitting one brick wall after another. After seeing this, I will keep on persevering. I really must.

    A.s last blog post..Earth Day

  10. Liara Covert

    Found you through your comments on Tammy’s blog. Love the positive vibrations of this place:)
    Your questions provoke thought and encourage readers to take responsibility for where they are and how they feel. This is an empowering process. Blessings!