LAZY SUNDAY # 33: THE HEAD FAKE

If I have one bone to pick with Show Business, it's that so many of us get pre-occupied with it. We tend to forget that there's a far bigger world out there. And therefore, in order to achieve our goals, we try to reflect what's currently considered hip or cool in our work and strive to be perceived in a similar light.

Sometimes our role models and mentors are not people of consumate character but those who have achieved the things we aspire to achieve ourselves. We follow their example and their advice, perhaps succeeding but always losing something of ourselves in the process.

So, let me introduce you to somebody who should be your role model. Randy Pausch.

Unfortunately, you won't ever get to meet Randy in person because he died this week. But a year ago, shortly after learning that his life would soon end, he recorded one final lecture at Carnegie Mellon University where he taught computer science.

Randy's last lecture has nothing to do with show business. But it contains everything you need to know about succeeding in this profession (or any other for that matter). He explains how to find your passion. How to get past the gatekeepers. How to be good at what you do. How to find the people who'll make you better.

He also expounds on the concept of "The Head Fake", the moment when you realize life told you it was going in one direction, when it really had something else in mind -- usually something better.

Randy's lecture will take an hour out of your day and reverberate through every day that follows. If you do one thing to realize your dreams this week, make it this.

Enjoy your Sunday.