If I had made a list of my childhood dreams, I admit, it would not be very impressive. I never wanted to be a firefighter or a police officer. I never wanted to become a millionaire, and I never even thought about becoming a GI Joe or an Army Man. If you could see my list, you would only see two words scribbled in my chicken handwriting. But just one of those words would follow me out of that first grade classroom and stay with me to this day. By now, curiosity must be coursing through your veins, just to know what my childhood dream is. Don't worry, I'd like to inform the reader that if they're hoping for amazing, world-changing work, don't get too excited. I want to be a chef, or as I wrote so many years ago, a cook. Later I learned that there was a subtle difference between the two and I changed the title, but it's not important. What is important is why I chose this as my dream, when there are so many other professions that can earn me more money and give me a better life. I just find cooking relaxing and comforting, but the best thing about cooking is the reaction you get when people taste and enjoy your food, the look of pure satisfaction when they take the first bite. That's what I love about cooking. Bring joy to the people who eat your food. I know I won't make a lot of money, but it's something I'm passionate about. I don't want to amass a huge fortune and sit on it for years, never spending a cent, until I die. To me this seems boring. You could say I was determined to cook. Determination - noun, the ace of making a decision or setting or establishing a goal. I would say determination has the greatest effect... middle of paper ...... y Pausch lived an incredible life full of determination, resilience and empathy. When you look at everything he did and everything that happened to him, you wonder what your life would be like if you approached every situation the same way Pausch did. He kept an open heart and always asked questions. I see his book as a guide to successfully achieving your dreams. I know I will take some of his life lessons to heart. The tells us that if you have a dream, you should do everything you can to achieve that dream, and that nothing is too out of reach and sometimes the only thing you need is a little help. Randy Pausch teaches us that you'll need to be determined to reach your dream, be resilient when your path crosses with disaster, and be empathetic to those around you because ultimately, they might be all that's left between you and your dream..