Really achieving your childhood dreams

This has been one of the most inspiring videos I've watched this year. If you don't have time for the video, read the transcript (PDF).



Computer Science Professor, Randy Pausch, has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He gave his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University on September 18. The impact of his illness, is quantified with the following summary on his website:

In August of 2007, we learned that the cancer had returned, having metastasized to my liver and spleen, which is a death sentence. At that time, the doctors gave me an estimate of having 3-6 months of healthy living left.

My wife Jai has been an incredible source of stability and courage through all this. We both agree that "you can't control the cards you're dealt, just how you play the hand."

As Techcrunch puts it:

He gives excellent advice on how to live your life and achieve your most outrageous dreams. It's a must see for entrepreneurs, and really anyone looking for a refresher course on living life to achieve your maximum creative potential.

My favourite quotes from the video:
On giving everything a shot:

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted

On setbacks:

So that was a bit of a setback. But remember, 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 don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.