"The Last Lecture," by Randy Pausch inspired me to look at my life with a new appreciation for the time that I've been given. If this man, who has been told he only has a few months left to live, can have such a positive outlook on his life, what excuse do I have? There are so many amazing pieces of wisdom in Randy Pausch's book, but a few in particular stood out to me.
Pausch talks about brick walls on several occasions. He says "The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. " This analogy is perfect. So often in my life, I feel like I am constantly knocking down one wall just to find another. I find it difficult not to think this means I am doing something wrong. But Paush changed the way I thought about it. From now on, I am going to try to stop getting discouraged when it seems like everything is in my way. I am going to look at it as a way to prove myself to both myself and others. It means so much more to accomplish something when you have to work for it. I never want to look at an obstacle and say "I can't. " .
Another huge takeaway for me was when Pausch told the story about the one hundred thousand dollar salt and pepper shakers. This is something that I hope to apply in my business but also in every other aspect of my life. You never know when something that seems simple and minute can actually turn out to be huge. Who would ever expect one positive experience with an employee over a ten dollar set of salt and pepper shakers to make a company over one hundred thousand dollars? The little things really do matter. Sometimes they matter much more than we will ever know. I am a photographer and run my own business, and I have learned that one client can make all the difference to my business. .
I had a last minute high school senior shoot with a girl a couple of months ago that I was dreading terribly.
