If this doesn’t make you stop, pause, and reassess your priorities and journey on this earth, I’m not sure what will.
I’d love your thought
xoxEDxox
What if you found out you were going to die… shortly? What would you do? How would you live your remaining days? Would you crawl under a hole and wait? Would you bungee jump or sail around the world? It’s a deep and introspective question.
Two years ago today, July 25, 2008, at the age of 47, a man that captivated the hearts of millions of people around the world (and mine), lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon professor and alumnus, husband, and father to three beautiful children. What is an academic tradition, to give students a “last lecture,” the notion that: if you knew you were going to die, what would you tell your students… actually became his own last lecture. He called it “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” and he delivered this inspirational speech at Carnegie Mellon University on September 18, 2007 to an immensely captive audience, including Randy’s family, friends, students, and colleagues. When he gave the lecture, he had just been given 3-6 months to live.
And why I would like to honor his life today, on the anniversary of his death, is because Randy Pausch was certainly not sitting on any fences when it came to how he was going to live the remainder of his days. He maximized every waking minute, and made every one count. I don’t want to give too much away. I urge you to watch his lecture, as I did in its entirety almost three years ago, and then I would love your feedback and thoughts below. Randy said that he gave the lecture for only three people in this world (the answer is in the video).
“You are always only one choice away from changing your life.” –Mary Blochowiak
I came across this quote yesterday in an email and I have to say, it has changed me. Just imagine. Think about this concept. You are one choice away from changing your entire life’s direction. ONE CHOICE. If you reflect upon your life, you’ve come to where you are through a series of choices, no doubt. But each one of our long and windy paths started with one choice. A single choice. And if this concept seems too abstract, let me give you an example very apropos to this week…. You are on a business trip, sitting at the bar in a strange country. A man propositions you to go up to his room. Your answer at that moment, that yes or no, that ONE CHOICE, could change your life.
So, now that you see the power of one choice, what would your life-changing choice be? Think then about how in control you are of your life. Powerful stuff. So what this means in essence, is one choice, just one, can change your life forever. Your life up until today is a result of a series of choices you have made. But the person you will be tomorrow, is still up to you, in your hands. With NEW CHOICES, you can actually change your path, change your direction. And you can do that today, April 15th, 2010. How incredibly encouraging. How hopeful and optimistic for the future, regardless of where you’ve come from. That means that should you be a struggling alcoholic for the past 25 years, your one decision today to stop drinking, could change your entire path. (more…)
By Guest Blogger Kara Maritzer
The notion of Inspiration is a funny thing. A term often heard and overused by the likes of everyone. The repeat offenders are those in the media vortex; celebrities/artists/Oprah – what “inspires” them to write a song, to play a character, to host a meaningful show. Sounds more often than not like a line from a superficial superstar.
The idea of waking up in the morning with the hope that “inspiration” in some way, shape or form may present itself – hardly seems sensible. Certainly, as I meander through my daily grind, leading a busy life that is almost quantifiably on auto pilot, there doesn’t seem to be much room or much time for that matter to welcome genuine inspiration. I can’t remember the last time I rolled out of bed early in the morning to the likes of carpool, work and life, feeling significantly inspired and on my way.