With Purpose Success, part 24

That's the way Randy Pausch saw things when he learned he had invasive pancreatic cancer and less than a year to live. He stopped and reconsidered everything and in a matter of months was able to reach millions of people around the world with his inspiring message of hope, patience, and no regrets. You may already know the Randy Pausch story. He was a popular and energetic lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University who shared his vision of a life worth leading with four hundred teary-eyed students in what became his last campus lecture, which he delivered in the fall of 2007. The great irony of Pausch's lecture was that it was scheduled as part of a "last lecture" series in which professors would pretend this was their final time at the dais and impart their most significant lessons. For
Pausch, a young man with small children, it was no mere exercise.
In a gutsy presentation he waxed on for a mind-boggling hour-plus of wit, charm, and humor, and invaluable life lessons. The circumstances and the freewheeling manner in which he spoke lent a gravitas to his wisdom. Loyalty is a two-way street, he said. Never give up. Accept help, and give it. Tell the truth. Apologize when you screw up. Focus on others, not yourself. Don't bail. Don't complain, work harder. Shut up and listen.
Be good at something because it makes you valuable. Work hard. Be patient and you'll find the best in everybody. Dream. Be prepared.
Pausch spiced his lecture with personal anecdotes and offered his words with the ease and calm of one who had found his place, found his version of success in the wisdom he was imparting-wisdom made all that much more dear because he would not be there to repeat it. There is something sacred about a dying person taking the time to make an impact on those around him. He had nothing to gain. So you knew it was coming from the heart; you know it was the truth and that it was priceless.
The earnestness of his words-and his obvious sense of purpose-is what made them special. "As you get older, you may find that enabling the dreams of others is even more fun" than realizing your own, he said.
This lecture, designed for just four hundred students (cmu.edu/uls/ journeys/), ended up riveting the world as a viral video on the Internet, where it was viewed tens of millions of times. It was later turned into a book. In one brief and shining moment of significance, Professor Pausch reached more people than he had in a career on campus. Pausch never lacked for purpose. Indeed, he seemed to find more of it with each passing day and, ultimately, came to view success not just as a full and rich life, not just as a life worth leading, and not just as a life of helping others-but also as a life that would serve as an enduring example for all. He seized on his life change and used it as a stepping-stone to personal greatness.
You Only Think You're Happy
There is an avalanche of new research in the areas of success and happiness.
Perhaps the leading light in this field is Martin Seligman, a University of Pennsylvania research psychologist, who in the last few years has coaxed his profession into going beyond the mere study of what makes people depressed and leads to their neuroses to a more uplifting place- to the study of what makes our heart sing and what might be done to improve our level of satisfaction. In his book, Authentic Happiness, he boils down true happiness to three components: pleasure (things that feel good), involvement (being immersed in things like family, work, and hobbies), and meaning (using personal strengths to serve a larger end).