Words of Inspiration and for Reflection

ByChristie Burnett

I am sure that many of you have seen this video. It is a shortened version of a lecture as presented on Oprah some time ago by computer science programmer, Randy Pausch. The original lecture, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” was presented to an audience of 400 at Carnegie Mellon University (it is also available to view on the web but is over an hour long).

I taped this lecture onto the hard drive of my DVD recorder the day I saw it on Oprah, that would be over 18 months ago now. I watch it often to remind me of the importance of living life in the moment as you never know how long you have on this Earth. Please take the time to watch it now, even if you have seen it before (it is just 10 minutes long).

This piece inspires me as both a person (I tend to be an Eeyore more than a Tigger) and, more importantly, as a parent. For me it raises these questions;

– what sort of childhood memories will my child have?
– how will my child remember me?
– am I encouraging my child (whatever their age) to DREAM?
– how can I support my child to chase his/her dream?
– do I let my child express their creative and emotional sides?
– are we having fun as a family?
– are we expressing our gratitude for all that we have?

Sadly, Randy lost his battle to pancreatic cancer in July 2008. I am so thankful he took the time to share this message while he was on this Earth.

Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

4 Comments

  1. Deborah (Teach Preschool) says:

    Thanks for sharing the video with us. I had read an article about him in Reader's Digest but didn't have the chance to see the Oprah show. A very touching and inspiring person considering the circumstances.

    There are two things I appreciated from this message..

    1. That how we live and embrace life is a choice. We can choose to be negative or positive in the midst of difficult circumstances.

    2. That parents play an essential role in helping their children be successful – I loved how he constantly refers to the role his parents played in his life. It was clear that he values his parents.

  2. Teresa McNamara says:

    I've watched the full hour version a while back but I enjoyed seeing a little bit of it again. He truly was inspirational!

  3. katepickle says:

    The full version of this is inspiring… and anything that makes you stop and think how you can make your life, and the those you love a little better,a little sweeter… has to be a good thing.

  4. Anonymous says:

    I also saw Randy's presentation on Oprah and have from time to time listened to it again on youtube. I find it truly inspiring.

    I think that by not including "God" or his own personal religious beliefs, and focussing only on his childhood dreams and how he achieved them, this message will touch more people. We must remember that the world is full of many different faiths, customs and religions and we must respect each others beliefs (same or alternative).

    I agree with Christie and do not think that Randy's presentation was about his religious beliefs.

    I loved that this was about family, love, respect and achieving your dreams. I am glad that he had the opportunity to share his story with so many people, and continues to do so each and every day.

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