Last weekend my family had our semi-annual "Family Retreat". Besides listening to lengthy lessons on budgeting we were able to watch two really inspiring lectures. The first of which is what I wish to share with you all and it comes from a program called the "Last Lecture" series. Most of these "last lectures" are giving by retiring professors from Carnegie Mellon (hence "last" lecture), but this one was given by a professor named Randy Pausch. He gave an incredible lecture on achieving your childhood dreams. Don't want to give a synopsis of the entire lecture, I would be doing him a disservice if I did that, but I do want to mention a couple of things that inspired me.
- When you hit a brick wall while trying to accomplish your dreams, remember, brick walls are there to keep those who don't want it badly enough, out.
-Let others help you get where you want to be, and in turn help others. Everything will come back to you.
-There are always 2 ways to say the same thing
"You're being a Jerk"
"It's too bad people perceive you as arrogant because it's going to limit what you can do"
-If you wait long enough, people will show you their good side, no one is ever all bad.
-If you have to give something up that you love, don't leave it in good hands, leave it in BETTER hands.
-Maximize on your differences, let those differences work together to make your ideas/relationships stronger.
And my personal favorite:
- "Don't complain, just work harder"
All this talk about childhood dreams really got me thinking. I wish that I had made a long term list when I was still a child. But, as they say, no time is better than the present. Here are a couple of things I want to achieve:
Work in Alaska for the Summer
Learn to Viennese Waltz
Do a semester in Washington DC (wow, am I EVER going to graduate?)
Find a teaching job that I love
Learn how to drive a stick-shift
Run a marathon
Serve a full-time mission (work already in progress!)
Get married in the temple
Write and publish that novel I know is in my brain somewhere......
Ride in a hot air balloon
Travel to: London, Paris, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, China, Australia, New Zealand, India, Turkey, Scotland, Ireland (the list goes on and on!)
Do another humanitarian service trip (preferably to Africa this time)
Get better at Rock Climbing
Read all of the Standard Works in a year
Have Children (of course)
Visit Mt. Rushmore
Be a volunteer for a political campaign
Buy that awesome new Hybrid Toyota Corolla
Travel back to Havasupi
Once I started that list I found it hard to stop! This list is longer and not quite as complicated as Randy Pausch's, but i think the key principles still apply.
1 comment:
lizzy, i was reading my thoughts on that talk just last night. i hit a brick wall today. one of the things on my list is to be the music or writing sterling scholar and today was the first time that a brick wall came slamming into my face. my music teacher told me that there would be many more experienced, talented, and musically gifted people going for the same thing. ouch. bricks are not soft my friend. but i realized that i would just have to work twice as hard . i can do that. i support you in all the things on your list. i was hoping to go back to havasupi too. :) see you there.
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