Allow me to share with you these wonderful insights by Randy Pausch, a 47 yrs old computer science lecturer from Mellon University. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2008.
Before he died he wrote a best-selling book entitled “The last lecture”.
In a letter to his wife and children, he wrote this beautiful “guide to a better life” for them to follow. May you be blessed by his insight.
Points on how to improve your life:
Personality:
1. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Avoid negative thoughts of things you cannot control, instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
3. Don’t overdo; keep your limits.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does.
5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
6. Dream more while you are awake.
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
12. Realise that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more.
14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
15. Call your family often.
16. Each day give something good to others.
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
20. What other people think of you is none of your business.
21. Call your family often.
22. Each day give something good to others.
23. Forgive everyone for everything.
24. Put God first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
25. God heals everything.
26. Do the right things.
27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
28. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
29. The best is yet to come.
30. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
31. You awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.
32. If you know God you will always be happy. So, be happy.
While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you work with and people you live with. Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.