Teaching General Psychology at the local community college is something I honestly feel I was born to do. Many times I am the students’ first exposure to psychology; which means I get to show them my passion, and truly my heart, two times a week. I literally get to witness their aha moments; when the light goes on and they are better able to understand themselves and their loved ones. I’d like to believe you can’t take a Gen Psych class and not have some of the veil lifted, leaving you more enlightened in some way, maybe even motivated to change your life for the better. I end every semester by showing one of the last interviews with Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture. The video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-a7LRwqwNw. Two times a year I am reminded, and humbled by these 41 minutes. Randy Pausch was truly a remarkable man and the true definition of ever upward. His “Last Lecture” on youtube.com has more than 16 million views, and his book, by the same title, has changed countless lives, including mine.
Some of my favorite Randy Pausch quotes:
“You just have to decide, are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?”
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
“Experience is what you get, when you didn’t get what you want”.
Like I said, the true spirit of ever upward.
I will strive, every day, to have even just a tiny bit of the love, acceptance and “tigger-ness” that was, and really still is, the light of Randy Pausch. Even if, at times, it feels like life tries to steal it; the hurts, pains, losses and just daily frustrations can be the persistent thieves of this light. And for me, truthfully, IVF was one of my biggest perpetrators. I will admit, under the haze of the ‘Clomid Crazy Train’ I was a broken Tigger, and it has taken me more than a year of hard work to find my bounce again.
But what it really comes down to is the decision, the choice; the acceptance of what is, and the work to find your new normal.
So decide to practice happy, to become healthier, to heal, to grow, to learn, etc.
You just have to decide; choose to change; choose your ever upward.