The Last Lecture

As mentioned on a previous blog, I read "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. I finished it about 3 nights ago and cried like a baby during the last few pages! You cannot read this book without stopping periodically and reflecting on your own life and decisions. I highly recommend this book!

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book.....

"The brick walls in life are there for a reason. They're not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."

"Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier." ---This really hit home with me in that I'm the ultimate procrastinator!

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. It's a phrase worth considering at every brick wall we encounter, and at every disappointment. It's also a reminder that failure is not just acceptable, it's often essential."

"Be The First Penguin. When I taught the 'Building Virtual Worlds' couse, I encourage students to attempt hard things and to not worry about failing. I wanted to reward that way of thinking. So, at the end of each semester I gave out "The First Penguin" award. The title of the award came from the notion that when penguins are about to jump into water that might contain predators, well, somebody's go to be the first penguin!"

"Get in touch with your crayon box. As I spoke about childhood dreams during my last lecture, I asked everyone to close their eyes and rub a crayon between their fingers-- to feel the texture, the paper, the wax. Then I asked them to smell their crayon. Smelling a crayon takes you right back to childhood, doesn't it? To this day I always carry a crayon in my shirt pocket-- for those moments when I need to remember."


I'm now reading 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult. I saw previews of the movie, starring Cameron Diaz, and it looks interesting! I'm hoping to finish the book before the movie comes out June 26. This is the first time I've read the book first, then watched the movie. I always do it backwards! =)