The most recent assignment for grad school had me viewing a video on Randy Pausch … His last lecture to be specific. It got me thinking of all the people in my life that said or did something that resonated with me long after it happened.
For instance Professor John Belt told me “you want a new job … quit or get fired … one of them is on your time.”
Professor Dan Tryon told me that a group has three types of people the first one Makes things happen, The second Watch what is happening, and the third is Wondering “That the hell just happened?”
I worked summer labor with the city of Peekskill for two summers during the community college days and some guy I worked with said “they all worked that crap job because they Didn’t go to college and don’t you dare go full time on this job.” “Find something better to do.”
The one that I stumbled upon myself was that people value honesty… Honesty was how I gained respect from myself and the people around me.
I have a fragmented collection of quotes and events that helped shape who I am. One day I would like to write them down (before I forget the good stuff)
The really great thing about looking at a video like Randy’s last lecture is that it makes me think about my life and my contributions to the people around me in the most honest way possible. I just wonder if I have done the same for someone ells.
What’s your take?
http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/
I too have had several people in my life that have imparted pieces of wisdom that have helped to form my principles and who I am. Surprisingly, my students over the years have had perhaps the biggest impact on me through things they said. One student a few years back was blatantly honest with me when I chastised him for not turning in his homework. He said, "I was up babysitting my three little sisters all night because my parents were out at the casino again." While that is not a sleek quote that can go on a calendar, what I took out of that is what he did not say and that is I need to try harder to find out what is going on with people before I pass judgment (or yell at them in front of the whole class). I have also taken a lot from my hockey coaches growing up because they always preached hard work. My high school coach told me that, "if it doesn't hurt at the end, you are not trying" and I will take that with me the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny how we can live by what people tell us without ever experiencing it for ourselves, but when we hear the right things, we just seem to know and take their word for it. Randy Pausch's lecture was full of great pearls of wisdom (enough to live one's entire life by). The best message in the whole Last Lecture was at the very end when he said that the lecture was not for the audience, but for his kids. Kids are the most important part of our professional and personal lives and we need to cherish every moment with them because soon we will be retired and our kids will be out of the house!
cheers,
ct
I have a different variation on your three types of people. I believe there are three types of people: The ones that do the job to make money, the ones that do the job for recognition, and the ones that do the job because it needs to be done. I find myself as the third type of person. My father told me when I was growing up that the important thing in life is to do your job to the best of your ability. You may not always get recognized for your hard work, but the people who matter will always recognize what you did. It is sometimes hard to see people getting recognition even when they don't deserve it. When I find myself getting bummed because I don't get recognition, I remind myself that it is more important that the job is done the way it is supposed to be. My dad was right. When I have a student or parent thank me for what did for them, I am reminded that the important people do recognize the hard work you do.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the lecture was good. It also made me think that I should start writing down quotes. I decided to take down the stuff that I liked from this lecture and keep it. Someday, hopefully, I will have some wisdom that I can share with people. One thing though is that the quotes he had were not his own. He remembered them from people in his life. So, we don't have to know a whole bunch of wisdom, we just have to remember the wisdom that we glean from people and our experiences.
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