In 2007, Randy Rausch, a pioneering computer scientist and teacher, gave his last lecture to a packed audience. He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and had been told he had six months to live. For the first three months, he would feel healthy.
Randy decided to share the best things he'd learned in his 47 years of life on this planet. One important truth he had learned first hand is that we cannot change the cards we are dealt. We can only change how we play the hand.
Randy had decided to play his final hand with style. At the start of his lecture he did some push ups on stage to show that he was still stronger than many members of his audience. He didn't want them to pity him.
He joked about his 'death bed conversion'. He had just bought a Macintosh computer! Later he told his rapt and emotional audience:
"I am dying and having fun and I am going to keep having fun."
Randy talked about his childhood dreams. He had been born in 1960 when men were walking on the moon. Not surprisingly he wanted to meet Captain Kirk and to experience zero gravity. He also wanted to play in the NFL!
He soon found that there are 'brick walls' or obstacles in front of every big dream. Some of these brick walls are made of flesh! He explained the reason for brick walls:
"Brick walls let us prove how badly we want our dream and they stop those who don't want it enough. Brick walls let us show our dedication"
Randy had to become a journalist to deal with the brick walls which blocked his way to entering a zero gravity environment. Eventually, he experienced zero gravity. He also met up with Captain Kirk!
However, he failed to play in the NFL but believed that he got more from not accomplishing this than he would have done if he had succeeded.
He learned that NFL coaches only criticize and ride the players they care about. They ignore the ones they no longer respect. He also learned that experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
In the middle of his lecture, Randy spoke about how to enable the childhood dreams of others:
"Don't set limits on what other people can achieve."
He had learned how not to set limits on what his students could achieve. Even when he was impressed by the amazing projects they had produced, he told them:
"Guys, that was pretty good but I know you can do better."
Randy followed the advice of a respected mentor who told him:
"Since you don't know where the bar should be, you'd be doing them a disservice by putting it anywhere."
Too often, people give up their finest dreams because of the limitations placed on them by others. Randy had also learned that the best way to teach a lesson is to have students think they are learning something else. He called this the 'head fake.'
He had plans to teach the children of America tough subjects like programming by helping them have fun while they learned. He knew that he would not live long enough to see his vision fulfilled but was content that:
"Like Moses, I can see the promised land."
In the last part of his lecture, Randy gave advice to his listeners about how to achieve their goals and dreams. We should all learn and remember the valuable lessons we are given by other people including our parents, teachers, friends and mentors.
Randy's dad had won a bronze star for valour. When Randy complained about coping with exams, his mother patted him on the head and gave him a sense of perspective:
"We know how you feel, honey, but when your dad was your age he was fighting the Germans."
They allowed Randy to paint his bedroom rather than worrying about the resale value of their house. Encouraging creativity is more important than saving money.
One of Randy's mentors gave him invaluable advice:
"Randy, people perceive you as arrogant and this will limit what you can achieve in life."
Randy commented: "What a nice way to tell you that you are a jerk!" When Randy was considering a commercial career, he received advice that he listened to. It changed his life:
"Become a professor. You're a good salesman; so you might as well be selling something worthwhile like education."
Randy was not too proud to learn from his own students. One of them, Caitlin, taught children to learn how to program computer software by appearing to tell them a story. Children can teach us one of the most important lessons of all. We should never lose our childlike sense of wonder:
"Never lose your childlike wonder. It is just too important. It is what drives us."
You should take action to help others. You probably help others more by what you do than by what you know. You should also learn how to get others to help you by telling the truth, by being earnest, by apologizing when you screw up and by focusing on others and not yourself.
At times Randy used colourful language to get his point across
"Don't bail. The best gold is at the bottom of the barrels of crap."
He came up with more memorable sayings as he moved towards the close of his lecture. His beautiful wife, incidentally, was sitting in the front row and was in tears for most of the talk.
"When you do the right thing, good stuff has a way of happening."
"Get a feedback loop and listen to it."
"Show gratitude. How could I not do that?" Randy showed his gratitude to his imagineering team by taking them to Disney world as a reward for "getting him the best job in the world for life."
"Don't complain Just work harder." Randy remembered Jackie Robinson's baseball contract which stipulated the following:"Don't complain even if the fans spit on you."
Randy worked hard himself. When he was asked why he had received tenure as a professor so early, he replied: "It's pretty simple. Call me any Friday night in my office at 10 o'clock and I'll tell you."
"Be good at something; it makes you valuable."
"Find the best in everybody. You may have to wait years but people will show you their good side. Nobody is all evil. Everybody has their good side."
"Be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity."
At the end of his lecture, Randy asked his audience: "Have you figured out the head fake?" He, then, answered his own question.
"It's not how you achieve your dreams. It's how you lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you."
He asked a final question: "Have you figured out the second head fake?"
"This talk is not for you. It was for my kids -- Dylan, Logan and Chloe."
"Thank you all and good night."
As you might expect, Randy received a standing ovation. His wife walked on stage and hugged him.
Several pieces of advice impressed me most:
Be aware that brick walls will stand between you and your dreams. You have to find a way through or round them if you want to achieve your goals.
Don't give up. You will find the best gold at the bottom of the barrels of rubbish. Lead your life right and your dreams will come to you. Good things will happen.
Don't put limits on what you or any one else can do. You just don't know where the bar or ceiling should be; so don't put it anywhere. The sky is the only limit.
Use 'head fakes' to help others learn without realizing it. Have fun and keep your sense of wonder right up to your dying day.
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