The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

When I first heard about Randy Pausch’s story in 2007, I immediately watched it online. There are few lectures/movies/shows where you remember exactly where you were when you watched it. But I remember being in my living room and really learning about what life is about. Over the years, I have re-read the book time and time again, most recently a few weeks ago.

Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The school ran a series of “Last Lectures”; if you had one last lecture to give before you died, what would you say? For Randy Pausch, this was his last lecture. He had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given only a few months to live (he passed away shortly after the lecture). Randy decided to discuss “Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”.

In one way or another, all of his childhood dreams were realized. They were somewhat nerdy (look who’s talking). Being in zero gravity, writing an article for an encyclopedia, being a Disney Imagineer. Not typical childhood dreams. But the life lessons and brick walls overcome are the true messages of the book. 

It’s a quick read with a ton of memorable quotes and stories. Some are obvious, but we forget them in our busy, daily lives. What if you did have three months to live. What would you share? This is a book everyone should read at some point.

My rating for The Last Lecture: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!