Book Summary - The Last Lecture
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1. The document summarizes key points from Randy Pausch's last lecture before his death from pancreatic cancer. He wanted to lecture one last time to share lessons and advice for living life to the fullest. 2. Some of his advice included challenging kids to build self-esteem, treating the underlying problem not just the symptoms, having honest discussions, showing gratitude, and taking risks like being the "first penguin" to jump in. 3. Pausch believed in working hard, enabling others' dreams, having integrity, and living life earnestly rather than just to impress others. His goal was to impart wisdom gained over years of experiences to help others fulfill their potential.
Book Summary - The Last Lecture
- 1. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar Director, The Amaatra Academy shivoo@pes.edu / Facebook: shivoo.koteshwar The Last lecture Oct 4th 2013 v1.0 BLOG: http://shivookoteshwar.wordpress.com SLIDESHARE: www.slideshare.net/shivoo.koteshwar
- 2. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © The Book The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch ISBN: 978 0 340 97773 6 I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children. If I were a musician, I would have composed music. But I am a lecturer, so I lectured. When I know I am going to die soon, Challenge was how to teach my children what I would have taught them over the next twenty years 2
- 3. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? A workaholic like me wanted to use this opportunity, the last moment of my career, a way to say goodbye to my “work family” This lecture will be the last time many people I care about will see me in the flesh I have a chance here to really think about what matters most to me, to comment how people will remember me and to do whatever good I can on the way out Injured lion wants to know if he can still roar Its about dignity and self-esteem, which isn’t quite the same as vanity I had lived out my dreams because of things I was taught by all sorts of extraordinary people along the way. If was able to tell my story with all the passion, I felt my lecture might help others find a path to fulfilling their own dreams I wanted to lecture because … 3
- 4. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Like the lion in the jungle, my natural habitat is still the college campus, in front of the students. So recording in the living room is not an option Moreover it does not hurt to get some external validation. If I can get an audience to laugh and clap at the right time, maybe that would add gravitas to what I am telling the kids Why cant I just put a video camera and tape it in the living room?4
- 5. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © When there is an elephant in the room, introduce it first (with reference to his cancer) We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand The instinct in our house was never to sit around like slobs and wonder. We knew a better way: Open the encyclopedia. Open the dictionary. Open your mind Stories should be told for a reason If you dispense your own wisdom, others often dismiss it; if you offer wisdom from a third party, it seems less arrogant and more acceptable Never make a decision until you have to If you are in a position of strength, whether at work or in a relationships, always play fair. Just because you are in the driver’s seat, you don’t have to run people over Snippets from his lecture … 1 5
- 6. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Always have something to bring to the table. That will make you more welcome If you find an opening, you can probably find a way to float through it Sometimes you get more from pursuing a dream and not accomplishing it, than you did from many of the ones you did accomplish You have to get the fundamentals right, else the fancy stuff is not going to work When you are screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they have given up on you Your critics are often the ones telling you they still love you and care about you, and want to make you better Snippets from his lecture … 2 6
- 7. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Self Esteem: Its not something you can give, its something someone (students/ kids) has to build. The only way to teach kids how to develop it: You give them something they cant do, they work hard until they find they can do it and you just keep repeating the process Coach is someone who just keeps showing up in your head, forcing you to work harder whenever you feel like quitting, forcing you to be better. Coach gives you a feedback loop for life Headfake: Teaching people things they don’t realize they are until well into the process. A coach will be a headfake specialist with a hidden objective to get you to learn something he wants you to learn When we send our kids to play organized sports like football, swimming etc, its not because they need to learn the intricacies of the sport but to learn teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship, the value of hard work, an ability to deal with adversity – E.g. of a Headfake When I asked my students to work on 3D movies, they thought they were movie scripts but the head fake is that they were how to become computer programmers Java Snippets from his lecture … 3 7
- 8. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Definition of a Leader Someone who never professes to have skills greater than his subordinates. He always acknowledges that they knew what they are doing in their domains but he establishes the vision, the tone. He is in charge of the morale Leader knows what he does not know and willingly admits it and does not leave until he understands it Leaders don’t believe in no-win scenario Tenacity is a virtue, but its not always crucial for everyone to observe how hard you work at something. I don’t want anyone to know just how long it took me to be successful Phrase whatever you can in positive light Ask Disney World workers “What time does the park close?”. They are supposed to answer “The park is open till 8PM” Its easy to look smart when you are parroting smart people. One needs to carefully rehearse and yet it should sound heartfelt and spontaneous Snippets from his lecture … 4 8
- 9. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © The brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people. Sometimes the most impenetrable brick walls are made of flesh! Sometimes the same strengths can also be a biggest flaw. This will limit what you are going to be able to accomplish in life My impatience for incompetence made me come across as a insensitive and arrogant person Like in marriage not everything needs to be fixed Snippets from his lecture … 5 9
- 10. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Time management – Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think Time must be explicitly managed like money Don’t invest time on irrelevant details. It doesn’t matter how well you polish the underside of the banister You can always change your plan, but only if you have one Always spend time on the right things Develop a good filing system Rethink the telephone I have never been on hold with a phone against my ear. I always use a speaker phone, so my hands are free to do something else Its better to stand when you are on the phone I will have something in view on my desk that I want to do, so I have urge to wrap things with the caller Delegate –Its never too late to delegate Take a time out Snippets from his lecture … 6 10
- 11. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Number one goal of teacher should be to help students learn how to learn. But its equally important to help students learn how to judge themselves. Educators best serve students by helping them be more self reflective Give honest feedback to students I used to be just like you, a complete jerk. I was in denial but I had a professor who showed he cared about me by smacking the truth into my head. I listened. I admit, I am a recovering jerk and that gives me the moral authority to tell you that you can be a recovering jerk too A professor’s job is to teach students how to see their minds growing in the same way they can see their muscles grow when they look in the mirrors It’s a thrill to fulfill your own childhood dreams but as you get older, you may find that enabling the dreams of others is even more fun Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity When you don’t know how high the bar should be set for your team/class, don’t disservice by putting it anywhere. Challenge them until they find their own bar, much higher than what you thought it was Guys that was pretty good, but I know you can do better Snippets from his lecture … 7 11
- 12. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © 1. Dream Big. Give yourself permission to dream and fuel your kids dreams too 2. Earnest is better than hip. Hip is short term and earnest is long term. Earnestness comes from the core while hip is trying to impress you with the surface Hip people love parodies. But there are no such thing as a timeless parody. I have more respect for the earnest guy who does something that can last for generations and that hip people feel the need to parody 3. Have agreements to avoid arguments. Make a deal! 4. Complaining does not work as a strategy. Don’t complain, just work harder 5. Treat the disease, not the symptom A friend of mine was stressed as she had some debt. To deal with the stress, she started Tuesday evening yoga classes. After few weeks, the situation was still the same. I asked her she was better off working on a second job on Tuesday evening instead of yoga classes and earn extra money to clear her debts. It worked and she paid off her debts. Her symptom was stress and anxiety but her disease was money she owed. Fix the disease 6. Don’t obsess over what people think How to live life? 1 12
- 13. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © 7. Start by sitting together Meet people properly Find things you have in common – Sports cut across boundaries of race and wealth Try for optimal meeting conditions –Food softens meetings Let everybody talk – Don’t finish someone’s sentences and talking louder or faster does not make your idea any better Check egos at the door – When you discuss ideas, label them. The label should be descriptive of the idea, not the originator Praise each other Phrase alternatives as questions – Instead of “I Think we should do A not B” try “What if we did A, instead of B?”. That allows people to offer comments rather than defend on choice 8. Look for the best in everybody – when you are frustrated or angry with people, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time. If you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you 9. Watch what they do, not what they say How to live life? 2 13
- 14. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © 10. Show Gratitude If at first you don’t succeed, try try until you are! Dance with the one who brung you Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity Whether you think you can or cant, you are right Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? – Reminder not to focus on little issues while ignoring the major ones Its not how hard you hit. Its how hard you get hit and keep moving forward – Rocky didn’t care if he won the fight. He just didn’t want to get knocked out 11. Be the first penguin – When penguins are about to jump into water that might contain predators, well, somebody’s got to be the first penguin An award for glorious failure and celebrated out-of-the-box thinking and using imagination in a daring way. First penguin award went to the team that took the biggest gamble in trying new ideas or technology while failing to achieve their stated goals. Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer Start-up companies often prefer to hire a CEO with a failed start-up in his/her background. The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures. The person who knows only success can be more oblivious to all the pitfalls. How to live life? 3 14
- 15. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © 12. Get people’s attention – That’s always the first step to solving an ignored problem Its important to impress upon students the importance of thinking about the end users of their creations. Its important to let them understand how important it was to not to create technology that is frustrating. Simplicity is the only way to avoid frustrations. 13. The lost art of Thank-You Notes – Bring it back to practice I still try to handwrite notes when its important to do so. Its just the nice thing to do. And you never know what magic might happen after it arrives in someone’s mailbox 14. Loyalty is a two way street I enabled Dennis’s dream way back when he needed it and now that I need it, he is enabling mine 15. Friday night solution Call me any Friday night in my office at ten o’ clock and I will tell you my secret of success A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shortcut is the long way which is basically two words: Work Hard The same is true in your life outside of your job. Successful couples when asked how they were able to stay together also say, “We have worked hard at it” How to live life? 5 15
- 16. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © 16. Show Gratitude One of my greatest mentors gave me wise counsel. He changed my life. Now I could never adequately pay him back so I just have to pay it forward. So I go out and do for others what somebody did to me 17. Send out Thin mints Sending a thin mints every time I wanted other professors to review my research papers with a condition that they should eat if after they complete the review always worked well. I just had to call and ask them if they have eaten the thin mints yet! Thin mints worked as a great communication tool as well as a sweet reward for a job well done 18. All you have is what you bring with you I always felt a need to be prepared for whatever situation I have found myself in. Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. When you go the wilderness, the only thing you can count on is what you take with you so be prepared always 19. A Bad Apology is worse than no apology – A good apology is like an antibiotic but a bad apology is like rubbing salt on the wound Good apology has 3 parts – 1.What I did was wrong, 2. I felt badly that I hurt you, 3. How do I make this better? 20. Tell the truth – You are only as good as your word How to live life? 6 16
- 17. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © 21. Get in touch with your crayon box – Helps you go back in time to your childhood 22. The $100,000 Salt and pepper shaker In Disneyland, when me and my sister went back to shopkeeper and told him we broke the new salt and peer shaker we just bought. He agreed to replace it and said “Our packing should have been able to withstand a fall due to 12 year olds overexcitement”. My parents appreciated this gesture so much that in the next few years, we have made so many trips with other kids as volunteer work. The total expense towards tickets, food and souvenirs would be more than $100,000. There is more than one way to measure profits and losses. On every level, institution can and should have a heart 23. No job is beneath you Too many people are unhappy with the idea of starting at the bottom. You should not be You ought to be thrilled you got the job in the mailroom. And when you get there, here’s what you do: Be really good at sorting mails 24. Know where you are – Academician (Data driven, scientific approach) vs. Emotionally driven entertainment business owners You have to be sensitive when crossing from one culture to another If you can find your footings between two cultures, sometimes you can have the best of both worlds How to live life? 7 17
- 18. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © 25. Never give up – Tenacity helps you get over the brick wall My uncle said go and do PhD and be a professor. When I asked him why he said “You are such a good salesman and if you work for a company, they will use you as a salesman. If you are going to be a salesman, you might be as well selling something worthwhile, like education” If you want something bad enough, never give up and take a boost when offered (He got in to Carnegie Mellon with a recommendation) Brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them- even if someone has practically had to throw you over – it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it 26. Be a communitarian - It does not make sense to talk about rights without also talking about responsibilities When we are connected to others, we become better people 27. All you have to Do is Ask 28. Make a decision: Tigger (fun loving) or Eeyore (sad sack) – Pack fun into whatever time you have 29. A way to understand optimism – Have a healthy balance between optimism and realism 30. The input of others Money can take care of the premiums for your life insurance so that kids can get money when you are no more. But for emotional insurance, premiums would be paid not by money but time I am thankful to all people who are giving me inputs and wishing me well. I am grateful for that. I have never felt alone in this ride I am taking How to live life? 8 18
- 19. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Final head fakes … • “Today’s talk was about achieving childhood dreams ..but did you figure out the head fake? Its not about how to achieve your dreams. Its about how you lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you. • Have you figured out the second head fake? ..The talk wasn’t just for those in the room, it was for my kids” 19
- 20. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © http://www.thelastlecture.com/ It also includes the video of his talk More here … 20
- 21. Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar © Thank You ! Prof Shivananda R Koteshwar shivoo@pes.edu BLOG: http://shivookoteshwar.wordpress.com SLIDESHARE: www.slideshare.net/shivoo.koteshwar