Computer science Professor Randy Pausch, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, worked with a psychotherapist to ponder the most meaningful way to live fully his final months. His desire to leave a legacy resulted in a last lecture for Carnegie Mellon students, which in essence was a virtual scrapbook for his children. Reflecting on his life, he writes that all the things he loved were rooted in the dreams and goals he had as an eight-year-old. Persisting through difficulties and roadblocks, he has achieved some version of each of them. He encourages us to celebrate out-of-the-box thinking, to nurture the dreams of others and to instill a zest for life. He recommends attending to what people do and how they make others feel as a wise way to notice character. He encourages praising others and showing gratitude.

 

Educators could envision themselves as personal trainers aiding the development of a particular set of tools or life skills such as self-reflection and self-assessment to strengthen students’ ability to adapt and overcome life’s complexities. This slim book appeals to any client facing grief or difficult struggles, deliberating the values to instill in their children, or contemplating how to live a meaningful existence while mentoring others to do so.