"You can always change your plan but you have to have one to begin with."
Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) was an American professor of computer science and human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pausch learned that he had pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007 he was given a terminal diagnosis: "3 to 6 months of good health left". He gave an upbeat lecture titled "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" on September 18, 2007, at Carnegie Mellon, which became a popular YouTube video and led to other media appearances. He then co-authored a book called The Last Lecture on the same theme, which became a New York Times best-seller.  Pausch died of complications from pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008.

The MEAPA Way suggests that individuals, business, schools, communities and other organizations can learn a variety of lessons from this story by watching "The Last Lecture" video and answering the following questions:

• What is Pausch's vision for his life?
• What do you find most impressive about his life story?
  
• What are some examples of his resourcefulness?
• Does he demonstrate the habit of self-improvement? Explain your answer
• How does his story illustrate the ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable?
  
• How can you use Pausch's message for your personal and professional development as you seek to develop a vision for your life, become more resourceful or practice self-improvement?