While Reading

I am working through The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (just started it today and also due today at EVPL under the "non-renewable/hot list" label....tricky) and wanted to take the opportunity to write the concepts that trigger introspection, reflection, or that I simply would like to further explore.

1. "An injured lion wants to know if he can still roar...It's about dignity and self-esteem, which isn't quite the same as vanity."




2. "I thought about how I defined myself: as a teacher, a computer scientist, a husband, a father, a son, a friend, a brother, a mentor to my students. Those were all roles I valued. But did any of those roles really set me apart?...I suddenly knew what it was. It came to me in a flash: Whatever my accomplishments, all of the things I loved were rooted in the dreams and goals I had as a child...and in the ways I had mangaged to fill almost all of them. My uniqueness, I realized, came in the specifics of all the dreams-from incredibly meaninful to decididly quirky...And I had lived out my dreams, in great measure, because of the things I was taught by all sorts of extraordinary people along the way."




3. For 'Rew: Walt Disney Imagineers, Electronic Arts, Carnegie Mellon (http://www.etc.cmu.edu/) The Entertainment Technology Center




4. "If there's an elephant in the room, introduce it": ie) He has cancer, aknowledge it and move on




5. "That is what it is. We cannot change the cards we are delt, just how we play the hand."




6. "It sounds oppressive by today's standards, but it was actually a magical childhood. I really do see myself as a guy who had this incredible leg up in life because I had a mother and a father who got so many things right. We didn't buy much. But we thought about everything. That's because my dad had this infectious inquisitiveness about current events, history, our lives."




7. "If you have any questions, then find the answer" (referencning the dictionary that was six steps away from the dinner table...but application to life in general).




8. "I quote my father to people almost every day. Part of that is because if you dispence your own wisdom, others often dismiss it; if you offer wisdom from a third party, it seems less arrogant and more acceptable."




9. "Never make a decision until you have to."




10. "Just because you're in the driver's seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over" (regarding positions of power).




11. "Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome" (as company and in business/professional transactions).




12. "I sometimes think I got more from pursuing that dream, and not accopmlishing it, then I did from many of the ones I did accomplish."




13. "You've got to get the fundamentals down, because otherwise the fancy stuff is not going to work."




14. "When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you."




15. "There's a lot of talk these days about giving children self-esteem. It's not something you can give; it's something they have to build...You give them something they can't do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process."




16. Feedback loop for life: "Forcing me to work harder whenever I feel like quitting, forcing me to do better."




17. "[He] was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didn't know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and didn't want to leave until he understood. That's heroic to me. I wish every grad student had that attitude."




18. Mantra: "The brick walls 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."



19. Pauschisms:



20. Time must be explicitely managed, like money.



21. You can always change your plan, but only if you have one.



22. Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things?



23. Develop a good filing system.



24. Rethink the telephone - call just before lunch, people will talk fast and only cover critical points



25. Delegate.



26. Take a time out - time is all you have, and you may find one day that you have less than you think.



27. "Somehow, with the passage of time, and the deadlines that life imposes, surrendering became [is] the right thing to do."



28. "Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us acheive our goals. And it won't make us happier."



29. "You don't ever have to worry about what I'm thinking. Good or bad. I'll let you know what's in my head" (pertaining to the concept that we'd all be more efficient if we did not spend time worrying about what others think of us).



30. "If you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you."



31. "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."



32. "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right."



33. "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" (Reminder not to focus on the little issues while ignoring the big ones).



34. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted...and experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer."



35. "Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other."



36. "A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shorcut is the long way, which is basically two words: work hard."



37. "Eaten by wolves factor: When trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst-case scenario...what is the most terrible thing that could happen? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don't worry about because I have a plan if they do. When you go into the wilderness, the only thing you can count on is what you take with you."



38. If you've done something wrong in your dealings with another person, it's as if there's an infection in your relationship. A good apology is like an antibiotic; a bad apology is like rubbing salt in the wound...Proper apologies have three parts: 1) What I did was wrong. 2)I feel badly that I hurt you. 3) How do I make this better?"



39. "Failure is not just acceptable, it's often essential."



40. "Tell the truth...all the time...You're only as good as your word."



41. "Get in touch with your crayon box."



42. "On every level, institutions can and should have a heart."



43. "No job is beneath you."



44. "...emphasize how sensitive you need to be when crossing from one culture to another...If you can find your footing between two cultures, sometimes you can have the best of both worlds."



45. "If you want something bad enough, never give up (and take a boost when offered)...Brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them-even if someone ahs to practically throw you over-it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it."



46. "My personal take on optimism is that as a mental state, it can enable you to do tangible things to improve your physical state."