Self-improvement must include faith and more

At the top of the bestseller list these days is "The Last Lecture" by Dr. Randy Pausch. Randy, a very successful 47-year-old computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University and the father of three children (ages five, two and one), learned that he has pancreatic cancer with only months to live.

So, he decided to deliver a final lecture at the University -- not about computer science, but about how to live.

He presented the lecture, which became an internet phenomenon and now has been expanded into a book, so that he might impart to his children the life lessons that he would have offered over the next 20 years, as well as to bequeath a final legacy for his wife, friends and students.

Three points

Reading his lecture, it struck me that Dr. Pausch has some pearls of wisdom from which we can all benefit. While I can't enumerate every point he makes or do justice to the stories he weaves, let me cite three of his insights which I believe are particularly significant:

1. First, Professor Pausch states that self-esteem is overrated.

Parents and educators today often place a great deal of emphasis on giving the young self-esteem; however, Professor Pausch posits that the danger of this approach is that it can become a form of coddling.

Self-esteem is not something we can give to another; it is something we must build for ourselves. Thus, Professor Pausch suggests that a real key to success in life is not so much self-esteem, but self-improvement. That means we must develop the ability to assess ourselves, to truly appreciate our strengths and weaknesses.

Since we can easily become the victims of self-deception, this assessment is best achieved by giving others permission to offer us honest feedback: to praise us when we deserve it, and to kick us in the pants when we need to work harder.

True self-improvement, then, demands humility, the skill and art of listening to feedback, and the willingness and desire to grow constantly -- to become lifelong learners.

Positive time

2. Second, Professor Pausch underscores the need to manage our time well. Time, he says, like money, must be handled carefully. We only have a limited amount of time in life, so we shouldn't invest it in irrelevant details.

He observes: "It doesn't matter how well you polish the inner side of the banister."

Professor Pausch also warns against time spent in complaining. He notes that if we spent a tenth of the energy we devote to whining and applied it to doing something constructive, we would accomplish much more and be much happier.

Further, based upon his research, he concludes that if we spent less time worrying about what others are thinking of us, we would be 33 percent more effective and far more satisfied.

Professor Pausch states that, while it's important to have interests, causes and goals, we must ask ourselves if they are worth doing. For example, he cites a news article he read about a woman suing a construction company because she contended the sound of the jackhammers the company used was injuring her unborn child.

In the photo accompanying the story, the person was holding a cigarette. Professor Pausch opines that if she had her priorities straight, she would have better spent her time putting out the cigarette than railing against jackhammers.

Dr. Pausch urges us to take time out. He points out that in today's high-tech society, it is not a real vacation or day off if we are constantly reading our emails, sending text messages or taking cell phone calls.

Time is all we have. One day, as Randy Pausch has learned, we will come to realize that we have less time than we think. Therefore, whatever time we have should be used wisely and prudently.

Right and responsible

3. Third, Professor Pausch advocates that we develop a "communitarian spirit." He suggests that we in the U.S. place a great deal of emphasis on rights; however, we cannot have a right without a corresponding responsibility.

Frequently, we tend to ignore the responsibility part: for example, we believe we have a right to a jury trial, but many people go to great lengths to avoid jury duty.

At a certain age, we can exercise our right to a driver's license or the right to drink alcoholic beverages, but we have the responsibility to drive safely and drink responsibly; otherwise, this right can be revoked.

This, of course, is really common sense -- but, unfortunately, a sense that is not all that common.

If we are not concerned about the common good, especially about the needs of those who are suffering -- the poor, the homeless, the disabled, the addicted, the incarcerated and immigrants -- then, Professor Pausch opines, there is just one word for us: selfish.

We must strive, then, to be other-centered. In the process of so doing, we will become better persons.

Faith is key

As a spiritual leader, I was somewhat disappointed that there was no explicit reference in Professor Pausch's lecture to faith or religion, although there is certainly much spirituality evident.

Let me complement his lecture, then, by surfacing a fourth quality needed for a successful life, one mentioned by Pope Benedict XVI during his Apostolic visit to the U.S.: namely, our need to be in contact with God.

It is only by cultivating relationship with God through prayer and worship that we can discover our own authentic selves, find the ultimate meaning for our lives and bear rich fruit in our world.

Yes, God, and God alone, the Pope reminds us, is the way to eternal happiness and to that truth which satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart.

It is my hope and prayer that we will heed the advice of Dr. Pausch to make self-improvement, effective time management and the promotion of the well-being of others priorities in our life. Further, I encourage us to hear the plea of Pope Benedict to root our lives in a relationship with God who is infinite life, infinite freedom and infinite love.

If we do, we can be assured that our lives will truly give honor and glory to God, and bring hope, peace and betterment to God's people.

 (07/10/08) [[In-content Ad]]