Randy Plutarch : His Last Lecture / Tips For Group Collaborations

You may recognize Randy Plutarch from his many television appearances. He was a brilliant professor at Carnegie Mellon University who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008.

Although, he left an amazing academic legacy, he is most famous for a discourse he titled “The Last Lecture.” The lecture was his contribution to a long-standing tradition at the University where professors would give an address speaking about life lessons.

Undeniably, Randy’s eminent death brought a new poignancy and emotional depth to the series.

The lecture is an educational, gratifying and wrenching affair. He discusses combating the disease, his life before cancer and his family’s struggle to find happiness and balance after learning about his terminal condition.

Even though, I have watched the lecture many times, I feel the audiobook is the best way to experience the speech. As an added bonus, Randy narrates the book and it contains supplementary content not included in the original lecture.

You can get additional information on his website at http://www.thelastlecture.com

You can also watch the original lecture in its entirety at http://youtu.be/ji5_MqicxSo

I have included a copy of a handout titled “Tips for Working Successfully in a Group.” He was a proponent of group activities in his courses and provided this document to help students make the most out of their group experience.

In an era where collaboration is an important factor at work and school, this handout is more poignant than ever.

Randy Pausch’s Tips for Working Successfully in a Group

Link to Original

Meet people properly.

It all starts with the introduction. Then, exchange contact information, and make sure you know how to pronounce everyone’s names. Exchange phone #s, [email addresses] and find out what hours are acceptable to call during.

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Lifestyles Changes - Food

My family has fallen into a dietary rut. We try our best to cook nutritious meals at home; but lately we are eating more and more processed meals and ordering fast food. We buy vegetables and fruits, but much of the time they go to waste. It is a cycle I have experienced before and promised myself to avoid.

I was overweight in my 20′s, I ate too much sugar, not enough vegetables, no whole grains and everything I ingested was processed. I did not want to pass on these lifestyle traits to my son.

With this in mind, my family is trying to institute some lifestyle changes to promote healthier eating.

1. Create a fixed food budget, and keep it on the low side.

Pay extra for quality ingredients and avoid the cheaper processed meals.

High budget shopping usually ends up with large amounts of groceries that are unhealthy and never get used. Pre-cooked foods and processed meals are convenient, unhealthy, and expensive.

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Self Reflection

People can mistakenly feel that it is up to others to fix our shortcomings. Without some form of intervention, many people are happy to pretend problems do not exist, and when no one comes running to the rescue they welcome hitting rock bottom.

Once presented with the hard truth, people decline the help because they lack the motivation to go through with it or are turned off because they had no hand in formulating the solutions.

Many times they are insulted by the accusation because it challenges their version of reality. People like easy fixes, but in nature there is no free lunch. People want a quick reward for their work and have a hard time seeing the big picture and the ultimate result of their effort. Other times, the guilt of what they have done stunts the desire to move forward and emotionally drains a person.

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