Blogpost #7

Image by robthecommguy via FlickrRandy Pausch's Last Lecture

I was shocked when I realized there was an elephant in the room.  This man was dying. I had to rewind it to make sure I heard him right. Even though I complained in another blog about having to watch such long videos, I actually watched more Youtube videos on this man after watching this one. He was so inspiring, so uplifting. He shared so many valuable points about life lessons.

His first focus was achieving childhood dreams. It is so important to encourage children to achieve their dreams. Children dream all the time. Mr. Pausch dreamed of floating as a child. His class was awarded a time to fly at NASA. He was told he could not go because he was a professor. So, he pretended he was a journalist so he could attend with his class. Children dream all the time.  Their dreams change overtime. My children dream of being a doctor, teacher, veterinarian, princess, traveling the world to name a few. As a parent you should encourage them to keep dreaming and hope to help them accomplish those dreams one day.

Mr. Pausch is inspiring to his students. He has given them encouragement to accomplish those dreams. To never stop dreaming. I loved that he had a student who dreamed of working on the Star Wars movies. That student accomplished that dream. You have to be a good mentor to your students, to your children. You have to guide them in the right direction to achieve their goals. You have to push them to their full potential. You should not set boundaries.  I love that his parents inspired him to draw on his walls. He had an elevator and rocket ship. My daughter has all her artwork taped to her walls. At first I thought, oh no she is ruining the paint. But, then I realized you can repaint the walls, and her artwork is something special to her and she should be able to display it. I can remember from my childhood, my Aunt let my cousin paint her walls. This was in the 80's and neon colors were in style. She took neon green, orange, yellow and pink and drew pictures and put hand prints all over her walls. This was the coolest bedroom I had ever been in. Of course, I wanted to do it but that just wasn't going to happen in my house.

Mr. Pausch mentions over and over "The Brick Wall." We all encounter brick walls but we have to figure out ways to get around them. He encourages students to get help when needed. You cannot get there alone. You need help, guidance, encouragement. There are ways around that brick wall. You should never give up.

I love that one of his dreams was to be a Disney Imagineer. I also loved that he wore his Disney shirt and pin. I love everything about Disney. Walt Disney was a great man with a huge imagination. One of my childhood dreams was to go to Disney World. My parents were never financially able to take us. Since I have married, we have been four times and one of those times I finally convinced my parents to come along. I love Disney! It is a world inside a world as I like to call it. I get a rush every time we enter the Welcome to Disney World sign. This place is absolutely the most magical place on earth. I want to be a part of the magic one day. I have thought of retiring in Florida and becoming a part of the Disney experience.

I love that Mr. Pausch did this whole speech for his children and not for the audience. 

Mr. Pausch also mentioned "Find the best in everybody. If you cannot find it, just keep waiting it will eventually come." I love this and will remember this forever.

I also love the memorial  in Disney World about Mr. Pausch. It reads, "Be good at something, it makes you valuable...have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome."