What's Holding You Back?

     Sometimes in life we run into, hear about indirectly, or meet someone whose life humbles our own.  I mean they are so impressive in some arena that we can only hope to have a fraction of their talent, desire, or discipline.  One person that gave me that impression was Randy Pausch.  Although I never met him, he left me with a profound impression. 
     Randy Pausch, college professor and author of The Last Lecture, was an incredible guy.  I watched some of his speeches, interviews, and home movies the other day to get some perspective.  For those of you that don't know about Mr. Pausch here's a brief rundown of the last year of his life:
     He was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and 3-6 months to live.  He knew he had limited time so he decided to spend his last months (he died in 2008) promoting and exemplifying how to live a great life for his children.  He made home movies, wrote a book, and presented his famous "Last Lecture" all for the benefit of his kids.  In the end, he won the hearts and minds of millions  and left his children, and us,  with an incredible example of courage, dignity, and the value of a focused mind. 
     One thing I really appreciated about Randy, besides his incredible valor and love for his family, was his ability to identify a problem (a life and death one at that), and figure out the best way to attack it.  "I have things I can do that will make difference for my wife, my kids, and society.  The woe is me attitude is not going to help anybody.  I might as well make the best out of it while I can.  The lecture and the book are not comparable to being a living dad, but the question I ask myself is, 'what do I do with the months I have left?'" 
     He once said, "I don't know how to not have fun.  I am dying and I am having fun." I can't imagine having that much courage.  Yes, Randy Pausch was an average guy on the surface, but because he lived his life with such zeal (even before the arrival of his sickness), it was not so daunting for him to continue living with this passion after the sickness came.
     He makes me wonder what talents we all have inside of us that we are not utilizing.  Do we have to be faced with a life and death situation to be our best?   What's holding you back from being your best now?  What's holding me back? 
     I urge you all to take some time to think about that this week.