“If I don’t seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you.”

That was the opening line from Professor Randy Pausch’s final lecture to the student’s at Carnegie Mellon University. Despite suffering from pancreatic cancer and having only a few months to live, Paush is in the best shape of his life. He even dropped to the stage to do a set of push ups, challenging students to do the same before pitying him.

Refusing to discuss his illness, Paush spoke about fulfilling childhood dreams and the lessons he’s learned over the course of his life. He also said that he hopes his wife remarries. See here for the Post-Gazette coverage or watch the video embedded below. (image)

Update: Check out the full lecture videos on YouTube (thanks Marty). Very funny as well as inspiring. Click here to continue »

• Life is a drag.
• What’s the point of anything?
• I’ll never be happy.

Do any of these gloomy thoughts sound familiar? It’s likely they do. The occasional case of the blues is perfectly normal, but that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. If you allow them to, negative thoughts can fester and lead to serious depression. That’s why it’s important to take action early to bust yourself out of a slump.

While these suggestions won’t eliminate your problems, they can help you break a negative thought pattern and stop feeling depressed. Click here to continue »

How are some people able to effortlessly lead and inspire others, whilst other meet with constant criticism and failure? What are the qualities that we should look for in potential leaders? If you ever find yourself in the position to offer leadership, what are the factors that will help you lead more effectively?

The following characteristics will help you estimate the leadership ability of others and become a better leader yourself.

Inspire not Command.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” - Lao Tsu Click here to continue »

Even if you aren’t interested in investing the time and effort needed to create a high traffic website, a blog can still be a powerful self improvement tool. The web is an amazing medium, and a blog will help you build motivation while also serving as a container of knowledge.

Here are some ways you can use a blog to achieve your goals.

1. Track your development over time

One of the biggest benefits of a blog is the ability to track your thoughts chronologically. As I look through the archives of PickTheBrain, I can follow my stream of thoughts over the past several months. This reminds me to get back to goals that deserve more attention and to evaluate my progress. Click here to continue »