Words That Live On and Touch the Soul

â(taken from my book)
"It was September 18, 2007, a normal Tuesday in the lives of many millions of people. But on this date a computer science professor, Randy Pausch, Ph.D., gave what is now known as “The Last Lecture.” It actually was the professor’s last lecture, given at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy Pausch, age 46, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given only a few months to live. So why was he on stage in front of thousands of students and on video camera giving a speech? He was going to die. How could he get up and talk about life? Why? What was
the purpose?

Mere words. Can mere words actually make a difference? To Randy Pausch, words were all he had to give back to the students who knew him so well, to his family that loved him, to his friends, and most importantly, to his three young children. Pausch wanted to leave a legacy, a blueprint for his children, aged 5, 2, and 1, to remember him by—a blueprint for them to use however they wished in their lives. But mostly he wanted everyone who ever knew him, and even the strangers who would come to know him, to know that death is “okay.”

Pausch spoke about his childhood, about what he had learned all along the road to his success, and about wanting to thank people who had helped him along the way. His attitude was upbeat, not bitter. He was thankful for a full and challenging career. He appreciated life and all his successes. But what this dying man wanted to do more than
anything was to give back. To help others. At a time when he could have been crying about his death sentence, or hiding in the comforts of his home, here he was, making people smile and teaching the life lessons he had learned in his forty-six years on earth.
Here are some of his words:
"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who won’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop other people. Don’t complain. Just work harder. That’s a picture of Jackie Robinson (the first black Major League Baseball player). It was in his contract not torncomplain, even when the fans spit on him." (PAUSCH)

"Words can live on for centuries. Words can inspire someone for an entire lifetime. Words can also destroy someone for a lifetime. Therefore, be very careful what you say and how you say it. I guarantee that Pausch’s last lecture will change many thousands of lives—far more,
even, than he had hoped for. Pausch did succumb to the dreaded disease of cancer, but he made us all realize that this precious life we have all been blessed with is short and we must be brave, diligent, and aggressive
in achieving our dreams and goals. Above all, we should be thankful for all that we do have."
"Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built." —James Allen (1864-1912), British authorr
C- John Paul Carinci from the book: AN ALL CONSUMING DESIRE TO SUCCEED