Death has a way of putting life into perspective, doesn’t it? While I did not know Professor Randy Pausch personally, his life, his message, and his death (just one week ago today) touched me deeply. Randy gave his famous “last lecture” to his students at Carnegie Mellon University last September and has inspired millions through that lecture (thanks to YouTube, Oprah, and people sharing his words of inspiration), as well as the bestselling book he wrote, The Last Lecture.
This week all three of my blog posts have centered around Randy and his incredible message and example. One of the most poinignet aspects of what he said and what I took away from his lecture, as well as every other experience I have ever had personally with the death of someone close to me, is that most of the stuff we focus on, worry about, and even do on a daily basis doesn’t matter that much. It is the people in our lives, the love we have, and the simple things that are the most important.
This week I am in the midst of finishing up the manuscript for my next book, BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN – which I am excited about, but also has caused a great deal of stress, worry, and anxiety for me since the deadline is fast approaching and I have been behind schedule. As much as I try to remind myself that I will get it done and that it will all turn out, it is so easy for me to give away my life to the process and to my fears about it not getting done, being bad, etc.
As important as this new book is to me, in the scheme of things and when I ask myself what really matters, I realize that Randy’s reminder is so important. Incidentally, we are also expecting the birth of our new baby girl sometime soon as well. Now, that is something that really does matter.
What really matters to you? Are you spending as much time and energy as you can on the things that really matter to you…and letting go of the stress, worry, and anxiety that you allow to flow in the direction of the many things in your life that don’t really matter? If so, let’s all together see if we can remember what Randy taught us and focus on the truly important stuff.
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