Childlike

I was really inspired by listening to Randy Pausch's Last Lecture as he notified his audience that he was dying and did so in such an uplifting manner. When he speaks of his childhood dreams and what he did to accomplish them, you can't help but notice that he is, in all the ways that matters, still a quite childlike, and I think it is this quality in him that gave him the ambition and the perseverance to fulfill those dreams.

Since I’m originally from Oregon, it reminds me of all the young kids that will jump and play in the 45 degree waves of the tepid Oregon coast. For them, the water is just cold, not too cold, and not enough to bother them from thinking to stay out whereas all the adults are standing on the shore thinking to themselves how crazy their children are. And yet, it is easy to note that these kids are enjoying themselves while these adults are just waiting around.

When you think of these things in a business aspect, what is really stopping us from accomplishing what we want to get out of our business or out of our life? Most of the time, it is simply just ourselves. We as “responsible adults” understand that the risks are just that. Risky. All the while those who are childlike still have the ambition to go run into the waves. Is it cold? Sure. Is it worth it? To a child, this is not even a thought. They are aware that the waves to an extent are safe as long as they stay in a certain area. It doesn’t matter if it is cold or not, there is where the fun is to be had.

If we were to adopt the childlike mentality of Randy Pausch, we too can accomplish our dreams.