Live Your Life: Randy Pausch

Think about it. What makes life valuable. What makes you valuable. What makes me valuable. I, you, we, we are the value we create. We are the life we pursue. Thinking about these things what first comes to mind is, work hard, do your best, and build your life.

Of course there's more to it than that and we each have our own road. Each will be different. And for those that embrace their ability and chase their dreams, we will share these things in common.

But yes, it's more than that. How we approach our life? How we define value through our values. Are we adding or taking away. If we are not adding, then we are subtracting. If we are not building, we are either tearing down, or allowing things to be torn down.

We have opportunities; to be part of something bigger, or to shrink away and be less than we can be, and less than the sum of what we could accomplish if we tried, if we participated, if we realized that we are the contribution to the whole that adds or takes away from the sum of the parts.

Yes, there will be challenges. There will be hardship. There will be tears. But there will also be smiles, and joy, and accomplishment…for those that try and try hard there is always a gain, an advancement. Experience is the gift we learn as we work and fight and try, and push forward. And for all the times we fall, and get up again, we are still advancing.

If we are willing to recognize when we are wrong, quickly. If we are willing to not try to just look good for the sake of looking good. If we are willing to be the fool and recognize that we really are just human…. If we are honest with ourselves and others, then we can at least say we did not only our best, but the best.

If we lie to ourselves and others, then progress is diminished. Pretending we are doing great is not the same as doing great. And it seems for all our faults, if we are not honest, then how can we be honorable.

Randy Pausch lived a great life. And now he lives through all he has touched. Be it his family, his friends, his students and colleagues. Shouldn't we all take these simple rules to heart, pursue our dreams, do the best we can and live the fullest life? Would it make sense to do it any other way?

If we do, our legacy will be the beauty and strength of what we lived, what we accomplished, and whom we touched...

And looking back at our individual roads, I hope we can all say, I learned from that, through the tears and the laughter, the joy and the pain. And if we do our best , our contribution will be reflected in the lives of those around us, those we touch and whom touch us. And from now and today, unto all such tomorrows, we can know that we did our best – and really, is there anything better than that?