Image: Through a Child’s eye courtesy of DownTown Pictures

During my teenage years, my home was filled with the sound of Mum playing classical music. Of the many pieces I listened to, Chopin’s 24 preludes earned a special place in my heart. In the video below, you can listen to Benjamin Zander show you why: A famous orchestra conductor, teacher and public speaker, Benjamin shows the emotional power of music with one of those 24 Chopin pieces.

But the part of his talk that made me think the most was when he talked about success. Towards the end of the video, Benjamin says the following: “You know, I have a definition of success. For me it’s very simple; it’s not about wealth and fame and power. It’s about how many shiny eyes I have around me.”

As a leader, you need to inspire those around you by touching their hearts and minds in unimaginable ways. If you are in a leadership position and want to test how effective you are, ask yourself the following question: How many shiny do I have around me?

I hope you’ll enjoy the video.

What wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?

A number of academic luminaries were asked to deliver a series of lectures at Carnegie Mellon on the basis of this question. One of them, however, made history. On September 2006, Randy Pausch underwent a whipple procedure after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  About one year later, on September 18 ‘07 Randy delivered his last lecture to a crowd of over 400 coleagues at one of Carnegie Mellon University’s lecture halls.

How to achieve your childhood dreams was recorded and quickly became an internet sensation. Randy’s lecture was truly inspirational, and full of wise advise. Although he seriously considered canceling the lecture after learning that his cancer was terminal, a quick conversation with his wife led them to the conclusion that he should take this opportunity to leave his legacy through this medium.

When you watch the video, you will see Randy talking in a surprisingly upbeat mood. He truly embraced his life, and decided to make the most of it. I encourage you to view the full one hour and sixteen minutes of video from Randy’s lecture; you will be inspired, and will learn many valuable lessons.

(If you can’ watch the embedded video, click here to watch it from YouTube)