It’s not how hard you hit. It’s how hard you get hit…and keep moving forward.
—Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
‘It took a long time, but I’ve finally figured it out. When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.’
—Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Meet people properly: It all starts with the introduction. Exchange contact information. Make sure you can pronounce everyone’s names.
Find things you have in common: You can almost always find something in common with another person, and from there, it’s much easier to address issues where you have differences. Sports cut across boundaries of race and wealth. Ad if nothing else, we all have the weather in common.
Try for optimal meeting conditions: Make sure no one is hungry, cold or tired. Meet over a meal if you can’ food softens a meeting. That’s why they “do lunch” in Hollywood.
Let everyone talk: Don’t finish someone’s sentences. And talking louder or faster doesn’t make your idea any better.
Check egos at the door: When you discuss ideas, label them and write them down. The label should be descriptive of the idea, not the originator: “the bridge story” not “Jane’s story.”
Praise each other: Find something nice to say, even if it’s a stretch. The worst ideas can have silver linings if you look hard enough.
Phrase alternatives as questions: Instead of “I think we should do A, not B,” try “What if we did A, instead of B?” That allows people to offer comments rather than defend one choice.
Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.
—Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Too many people go through life complaining about their problems. I’ve always believed that if you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you’d be surprised by how well things can work out.
—Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
