Hey everyone....man, have i had a busy week and even more to come...RN school's coming to a end..THERE'S LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!!or... i think that's light, or maybe it's a train...anyways, i spent 10 hours of my day yesterday writing a 14 page paper..not cool man...not even cool. but i guess you've gotta jump through the hoops to get where you wanna go, right?
I was originally introduced to the video below in high school. It's hard to really capture in words the impact it's had on me since then. Allow me to introduce you to Randy Pausch, Phd. Dr. Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University where he specialized in computer science and human-computer interaction. In late 2006, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (and coming from a nurse who works on a cancer floor, this is one of the worst kinds imaginable) and was given "3 to 6 months of good health" left. A month later, he held what was to be known as "The Last Lecture". He speaks about achieving your dreams. His optimism and wisdom are something that...i can't even begin to rationalize or fathom. I can only hope to grow into this type of man. I would challenge each and every one of you to watch this video. It's inspiring, unmatched, original and worth every second spent. I cannot stress to you enough. People ask me why I think the way I do, it's because I take the time to stop, listen, and recognize gems like this that are a rarity in this day and age. Don't be deterred away by its length and if you find yourself distracted DO NOT miss the ending. If times your only constraint, remember to come back and make time. Dr. Pausch was once quoted saying:
"The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have."
So grab a blanket, grab a friend, grab a box of Kleenex and enjoy.
My two favorite quotes of his lecture:
"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."
"It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you."
I actually had this book out tonight. I think I need to re-read it.
You are still one of the top nurses we have ever had, and Ben has had a lot.
Randy Pausch was an incredible inspiration.
Jamie
cheeriokeeper
April 21, 2011 at 11:36 PM