A few weeks ago, Storyteller (Kid Time Story Time) recommend The Last Lecture. The book was like an autobiography full of life lessons by Professor Randy Pausch. He was a trailblazing subject matter expert of Computer Science with a focus in virtual worlds. He passed of liver cancer in 2008. There is footage of his last lecture for free on YouTube. His book shares tidbits from the lecture, but it was more about the culmination of events that led to it. In my opinion, it was more than an autobiography. It was like a conversation. The timeline shifted throughout the chapter, but it moved his personal story along.
The Narrative Style was a wise choice, because the language he uses is accessible to the average person. Yet, he doesn’t insult the intelligence of the reader either. Although immediate family and friends appear to be the target audience, Professor Pausch left a timeless collection of memories and moments that can benefit all that read it. To be honest with you, I was supposed to watch his lecture for a class back in 2010. I watched enough of the video to get participation points, but I didn’t really listen. I’m glad Storyteller recommend his book. I treasure what I read. One lesson that stood out to me was collaboration.
Professor Pausch made it a point to take his students out of their comfort zones to create an environment where diverse groups could go beyond their limitations. A secondary goal was helping his students expose their own combative personality traits that may interfere with future job opportunities. Honestly, it’s rare to get that level of care in a collegiate environment. More importantly, a talented person can only go so far on their own. That is why this week’s motivational theme is collaboration. I am not pushing you to collaborate with people that you don’t know. I want you to think about the people in your life. Do you have friends that are living parallel lives? Is your partner taking an interest in your goals? Having deep conversations with those around you may bring your common interests to light. This doesn’t mean that you need to become business partners overnight. It’s more like their insight may reveal paths you did not consider.
Need more quotes? Click your favorite of the week and see where it takes you. See you tomorrow for Tuesday’s Mystery post!
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