Creative Writing Pieces

Last Lecture

A/N: Before writing this, our teacher had us watch Randy Pausch's Last Lecture.

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I had known before even beginning to learn on my newly purchased instrument that I would need patience. I just didn't know exactly how to stick to it. "Keep at it," my father told me when I unwrapped the present to reveal the beautiful string-bound contraption. "Don't let this turn out like the guitar did." It was a fair statement; I gave up on the guitar just days after quitting lessons and saying I would teach myself. But I was determined. The ukulele wouldn't turn out like the former instrument. Day after day came of me coming home from school, doing my homework and pulling out my uke to play. I practiced chord after chord again and again, and even played through a few songs to get used to the feeling of switching chords. Eventually I had a good bunch down. So, I opened up a tutorial of the How I Met Your Mother version of 'La Vie En Rose' on YouTube and started learning – first, just the intro. After a few days of that, I knew it well. I began practicing the first verse, then the second, and before I knew it, I could play the entire song from beginning to end without even glancing at the tutorial. It was then that I knew for sure: Practice makes perfect, and patience is the key to perfection.

I remember many times of my mother telling me to "never be a follower" and "always be doing something because you want to". I just brushed it off then. I thought that it was okay to follow, okay to be doing things other people want to; and in some ways, that is fine. Say you want to do the things they're doing, or you just want to spend time with them and you don't care how. Then it's fine. It's not good, but it's not horrible either. It's just fine. It wasn't until too late that I realized my mother was right. I had developed a fake personality, one based on other people's views, interests and opinions. I'm still trying to shed that horrid thing, but I'm getting there. Little by little, I'm breaking out of it. And, honestly, I am loving every bit of it. I'm finding out things about myself that have been buried for far too long. This is who I am. I love flannel and cute little coffee shops and just strolling down Main Street talking with my friends. I love smiling and being nice to people and writing stories. I love beanies and Indie music and driving around for no reason at all. I love doing things everyone does and doing things no one dares to. I love being myself; and I think that's what my mother wanted all along. So please, just be yourself, and love doing it, because we only have so much time here.

Stage fright. What a horrid thing it is. It eats your insides and devours your soul, leaving you an empty shell; but it shouldn't. Stage fright shouldn't hurt us as much as it does, because there is no reason for it. Yes, you may be doing something you haven't ever done before, but you shouldn't be afraid to do it. You should be full of excitement and exhilaration for the event to come! I recall a time when a family friend talked me into performing in front of a small audience during his son's break from acoustic playing. I was nervous. Extremely nervous. My friend kept showing me the time, because the performer would take his break at six. My mouth was dry, and I could hardly breath. I was shaking like a hungry dog watching his owner prepare a steak. I didn't want to be, and I knew I shouldn't have been, because it wasn't like I sucked. I had practiced that song multiple times and had it down. But I had also only performed it in front of friends and family; that time would turn out to be my debut. I did end up playing it, La Vie En Rose on my uke, and I messed up a couple times from my nervousness. Before I even began playing I said, "I haven't ever played in front of any one but friends and family before, so if I seem nervous, I am." I got some laughs from my last few words. When I finished playing, everyone clapped. I smiled. They wanted me to play another song. I answered with, "This was the only song I know – I've just started learning to play." The family friend told me I had a pretty voice, and he had no idea before I played. A few others complimented me as I returned to my seat. They wanted me to sing again, even if it was a capella. I ended up doing it. I had my eyes closed for most of the time, because it eased my nerves, but I really enjoyed it. I love music, and I plan to continue doing it no matter how nervous I am. So, just because you have stage fright doesn't mean you should let it get to you. Enjoy what you're doing, whether you're afraid or not, because no one will yell at you for it.

Sleep is important. I don't care if you have to study for a test, or finish homework, you shouldn't cut into your sleep for it. Your body needs sleep. One time, I stayed up late to study for a test, very late. I studied and studied, and when I couldn't see the words anymore because I was falling asleep on my notecards, I decided it was time to go to bed. My mother woke me up at six like she always does, and needless to say I was beyond tired. I stumbled out of bed, got ready and left for school. When it was time to take the test, I was practically DOA. I couldn't focus, I couldn't remember anything, and I forgot the most basic things like what day it was and how to spell 'the'. So, please, just sleep. I promise it's more important than staying up late to study. If you have to, go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier to study some more. It will help; trust me.

Take the time every day to imagine reaching your goals, you'll want to achieve it for real once you see how good it makes you feel inside. I know that helps me, and has helped me in the past. Take my life dream, for instance. I imagine creating this beautiful script, casting the most amazing actors to play my characters, directing my story, and watching it come to life on the big screen. That's my dream; and just imagining me reaching it makes me want to try the most I can to achieve it.

Before I even begin explaining this last lesson,yes, the Internet is an amazing feat that we should celebrate; however, that'snot all we should do within our lifetime. You should have real goals – notcompeting with your friend to see whom can get the most followers in a week –something along the lines of creating something, or solving some extremelydifficult equation, or raising money to go to another country or to travel theworld! The point of this lesson is, you can watch everyone post his or hersuccess online, but the real achievement is when you can reach yours on yourown.