Share Your Legacy: Prepare Your Own Last Lecture Prepared and Presented by: Jim Messina, Ph.D.

What is the Last Lecture Randy Pausch is a Professor at Carnegie Mellon University where on September 18, 2007 he presented his Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams for his three children Dylan, Logan, Chloe and wife Jai There is now a published book: The Last Lecture published by Hyperion Press by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow Randy prepared a Second Last Lecture: Time Management, which he presented at University of Virginia on November 2, 2007

What can we learn from The Last Lecture? The importance of sharing with your family how you got to where you are today in life The lessons you want to share with your family members which hopefully will help them on their own journey in life Leaving a Legacy for your family to draw upon for the rest of their lives even after you are gone

The Last Lecture Can Teach: How you can overcome obstacles in life How to make your dreams and the dreams of others come true How to seize the opportunity and use every moment you have in life to the fullest How to live out your beliefs in life How to live your life to the fullest

Why do a Last Lecture? The Last Lecture can: Communicate messages of love, forgiveness and gratitude to your family Provide a connection for the younger generation to the older generation as well as the long gone generations Provide a comfort to family members that you have no regrets over how your life has been lived

What if You do not Prepare Your Last Lecture? The message in a Last Lecture is “meaningful” for family members and if there is no message left family members will struggle to preserve their memories of you in other ways – sometimes not exactly the way you would wish or hope they would do

The Last Lecture can Provide Guidance: Through the Last Lecture you can provide your family with guidance on: How to manage the transitions in life they will face How to make life time commitments in relationships, careers and community life How to avoid the mistakes you have made along the way

What can be included in Your Last Lecture? The history of your family going back to your grandparents Cherished memories and stories Your personal history Values and beliefs which directed your life Lessons you learned along the way Regrets for past decisions and/or actions Who and what you now forgive for real or imagined hurts Hope for the future for your family Blessings and messages of Love

What else should be included in a Last Lecture? Pictures of you and your family over the years Videos or home movies Art work with meaning for you, if you dare do some art work to be included  Music which touched you over the years

So What Do You Think? What objections do you having to doing your own Last Lecture? This is like saying: “I know I am going to die so I better get what I need to say as soon as possible to my loved ones.” It scares me to prepare: “My final message” “This is so Egotistical! As if I have so much to say that others would want to hear it!”

References -1: Randy Pausch Related sites: Randy Pausch’s Website: http://www.randypausch.com Randy’s Last Lecture video: http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=- 5700431505846055184&hl=en Randy’s Time Management Lecture: http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=- 5784740380335567758&q=Time+Management&ei=D9QUSNvVB 4qUrgKvkNzyBA&hl=en Randy’s Interview with Diane Sawyer: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=265263428002185148 The Last Lecture Website: http://www.thelastlecture.com

References -2 Alvarez, L. (2005) Farewell with Love and Instructions. New York Times: Oct. 6, 2005 Baines, B. K. (2006) Ethical Wills-Second Edition. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press Baines, B. K. (2001) The Ethical Will Writing Guide Workbook. Cambridge, MA: Josaba Ltd. Elgin, D & Ledrew, C.(2001) Living Legacies: How to Write, Illustrate, and Share Your Life Stories. Berkley, CA: Conari Press Books

References - 3 Pausch, R. & Zaslow, J. (2008). The Last Lecture. New York: Hyperion Scott, B. (2006) Leaving a Legacy. News- Herald.com, April 19, 2006 Siegel, J. (2003) Lessons for Dylan: From Father to Son. New York: Public Affairs Spence, L. (1997)A Step by Step Guide to Writing Personal History. Athens, OH: Swallow Press/Ohio University Press

Websites: Aging to Sage-ing at: http://www.allaboutaging.com/ A Legacy to Remember at: http://www.alegacytoremember.com/ Chapters of Life at: http://www.chaptersoflife.com/index.htm Ethical Wills: Preserving Your Legacy of Values at: http://www.ethicalwill.com/ Family Legacy Video at: http://www.familylegacyvideo.com/ The Legacy Center at: http://www.thelegacycenter.net/ The Legacy Guide at: http://www.thelegacyguide.com/