There are some people in this world who are simply wired right…

Not only has Dean Kamen invented the iBot, a wheelchair which goes up stairs, the Segway, a two-wheeled, self-balancing human transporter, as well as a relatively inexpensive way for remote villages to easily purify water, but he is now crowdsourcing the “next big application to benefit society” from the world’s young mobile developers.  The $150,000 contest, “Calling All Innovators,” was announced today at the Web 2.0 Expo NYC by Kamen and sponsor Nokia.

I first saw Kamen on Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts with Isabella Rossellini, of all people, and was blown away by both of them.  I had heard of both before of course, seen some of her movies and his inventions, but the program was utterly enlightening on what really interests and motivates them.  (A gem of a program BTW Sundance!)  I would have loved to have seen Kamen and Randy Pausch one on one!

A friend just told me Randy Pausch, famous for his Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon, has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today.  Though I am greatly saddened by his passing, I can’t imagine Professor Pausch would want tears.  So instead, I remind myself of his key tenets (pardon any paraphrasing) and assess myself, as he might instruct me to do:

1. Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?
Lately, I think my inner Eeyore has been showing.  Frustrations at work and a few recent family setbacks are making me slightly psychotic of late.  I must remember to look at the glass as half full!  Thankfully, my acupuncturist is also helping me stay sane.

2. Don’t bail; the best gold is found at the bottom of barrels of crap
Now this one, I really needed to be reminded of…nothing significant is ever easy.  Getting my hands dirty, slogging through the crap and making progress, even slightly, is what will make me successful in the end.

3. Don’t complain; just work harder
Always good to remember and one I try hard to follow!  If I do complain though, I try to also have a solution or work around to suggest at the same time.  At least the conversation stays constructive instead of becoming defensive.  It’s the consultant in me…

4. Brick walls are there to prove just how badly you want something
Boy are they ever!  I often forget this one and become dejected at the first or second barrier to whatever I want to do appears.  My capricorn-ian stubbornness rarely lets me give up, but it keeps me from being happy sometimes.  Recently, however, I’ve been surprised by how my team and I can get things accomplished at the local government level by simply being calm, thorough and patient when the barriers to change are thrown at us.  There is something to be said for the power of the people…even if it takes 3x as long as you’d like.

Regardless of whether these tenets are of value to you, I encourage all who may read this to watch or read about Pausch’s Last Lecture and, if nothing else, be inspired by such a great soul as he.

there are no words to describe just how significant this video is