Blog Post 8

     Randy Pausch was amazing at inspiring people to achieve their childhood dreams. His last lecture video has influenced me to try and complete my own childhood dreams. Randy Pausch's childhood dreams were to be in zero gravity, play football in the NFL, author an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, be (meet) Captain Kirk, win giant stuffed animals, and be a Disney Imagineer.
    Pausch achieved all but one of his childhood dreams. He did not let this effect the way he looked at life. He achieved the dream of being in zero gravity, by winning a NASA contest with his students. He bent the rules to where he could actually join them in the zero gravity experience. He did not achieve the dream of playing football in the NFL, but he learned two very important ways to look at life. These two include, "When you are doing something wrong and nobody corrects you, that means they have given up," and "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." I plan to apply these two rules in my everyday life. Pausch also got to author an article in the World Book Encyclopedia. Pausch got to meet Captain Kirk (William Shatner); he explained that when he was younger he learned to value of being a leader from Captain Kirk. Pausch also got to become one of those guys that walk around an amusement park with gigantic stuffed animals in his arms. He brought out some of them to show proof that he actually won them, and he also let the audience take them home on a first come first served basis. Finally, the hardest of all, Pausch actually got to become a Disney Imagineer. He attained this by his persistence.

    There is a lot that can be learned from the inspirational Randy Pausch. I learned that you can not go through life as an Eeyore; you have to be a Tigger. Do not bail on something when it does not go as planned. Show gratitude to the people who get you where you are, and those who help you with the process. Do not complain, this just means you need to work harder. Look for the best in everyone; this one really needs to be practiced by everyone. And be prepared for whatever life throws at you. I hope that I can implement all of these practices into my daily life. These will make my life and other lives easier and manageable. Always remember, "Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things."