Maybe you’ve already seen Randy Pausch’s well-known “Last Lecture?” It became a very popular download for some time. He was also interviewed at length by Diane Sawyer, a good friend of his.

Who is this man and why is he considered one of the most inspiring people of 2008?

Randy was a Carnegie Mellon University professor who had only 6 months to live because of his pancreatic cancer. He gave a final lecture on time management at the University of Virginia on November 27, 2007.

This wasn’t your ordinary lecture, given by an ordinary professor. This was one man’s last chance to relay some powerful messages to the world before he passed on, leaving his wife and children.

If you can only watch a few minutes of this inspiring lecture, do so:

The Last Lecture

This story is so inspirational, positive and ongoing that it deserves a revisit from Only Positive News.

There are over 1 billion homeless people existing on this planet. The Homeless World Cup was established to put an end to this prevalent problem and to also showcase the skills of people who are often too busy struggling to survive. If you think this is a small, grassroots effort, think again.

This event has taken the world by storm. The first tournament began in Graz in 2003 with 17 national teams. At the 5th Homeless World Cup in Copenhagen in the summer of this year, 48 nations, 500 players were brought together for a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country. Melbourne is the host city for the upcoming tournament from 1-7 December 2008.

In preparation, a new Australian team was announced this week to compete. This is the first time a dedicated women’s competition will be held in the history of the Homeless World Cup.

“Apart from coming to Melbourne to represent my country, getting selected to be the Captain of the Women’s team is probably the best thing to have ever happened to me,” Toni Whelan had to say. Whelan was awarded Best Female Player of the 2008 National Street Soccer Championships as well.

Says founder Mel Young:

“The Homeless World Cup has demonstrated the power of sport to change lives, to change the world. The sixth Homeless World Cup in Melbourne is the pinnacle of the year round work by grass-roots football programs in 56 nations, which bring together over 30,000 players for training, to rebuild their lives and communities.

“The Homeless World Cup is growing fast, traveling to the far corners of the globe to engage people who are homeless, to change hearts and minds, and to pioneer imaginative solutions to address this key global issue.”

Australia’s Street Matildas take Uganda’s victory in their stride after their Homeless World Cup match at Federation Square yesterday. Photo: Penny Stephens

Eric Scott Flying High

To continue with our space-age forms for travel, let’s introduce this positive story:

Eric Scott, professional stunt person, catapulted himself into the record books as he jetted across a canyon, with the use of a contraption that used hydrogen peroxide for fuel…without the use of a parachute or safety net.

This is no small deal. For decades, aeronautical companies have been striving for a pack that’s capable of propelling a human a substantial distance. The problem is that jetpacks burn fuel incredibly quickly. And often, as Scott points out, there’s no way of knowing how long you will be airborne.

“This was almost twice the distance that I’ve ever flown before,” Scott says. “I’ve run out of fuel at 29 seconds before – 2ft off the deck. But I had no idea exactly how long it [the crossing] was going to take. I was expecting a 25 to 28-second flight. It always looks good on paper, but paper’s paper and 1,000ft gorges are 1,000ft gorges. Finally, I just made the decision that we’re gonna do it. It was a personal thing. Just one of those things that needed to be done.”

Anytime we make strides to move away from fossil fuel and explore other forms of transportation, it’s positive and inspiring news. And just looks pretty awesome!
Watch Amazing Video of Eric Scott

India has itself a new, self-imposed Parliament of youths who seek change.

At first, Ishita Chaudhry gathered friends who were serious about social activism in the confines of her garage. Since then they have grown exponentially.

Gillian Howell is involved in the entire whisky-making process

Some other noted names to appear on Management Today’s “35 women under 35″ list include well-known designer Stella McCartney.

She has the right sort of personality, and she takes on a lot of responsibility for someone who is only 26 Stephen Davies, Managing Director

Interestingly, Gillian had never planned on the life of a whisky distiller but liked the size of the company. She wanted to genuinely feel connected to a smaller company and not feel like another “cog in the wheel.”

“This is a lot more hands on,” she explained. “There are loads of different aspects to the job, it’s really varied.”

Does she have to drink the stuff in order to keep her job? Luckily not! At her level, a simple smell of the stuff is enough to tell her what’s needed.

Whenever women enter a predominantly male arena, its always positive news…especially when she may be considered one of the best distillers in the last century!

Send us your positive news! We’d love to hear from you!

Orrin Hudson is changing the way inner-city kids think, one chess game at a time. A chess champion, U.S. Air Force veteran, and former Alabama State Trooper and entrepreneur, Hudson began offering free, 16-week chess workshops across the nation in 2001.

He knew that chess was more than just a game; it offered strategies that a troubled youth could apply to a myriad of areas in his or her life. He knew that chess sharpened a young mind and helped them to think many steps ahead. He knew it was a way that a kid could stay off the street and continue another form of education.

At this point, Hudson, often called “The Pied Piper of Positivity,” has coached more than 20,000 kids in over 15 states. The name of the program “Heads Up, Pants Up, Grades Up” (”Pants Up” encourages the kids to abandon the baggy pants look in favor of something more professional.) In a remark that has many meanings, Hudson tells his students:

“If you make the right moves, you can get the right results.”

If you have some more positive news to share, send it our ways. We’d love to hear from you!

Sonya Barclay was in serious need of some positive news. Her breast cancer had spread through her bones and feeling worn-out from treatment. But that didn’t stop her from wanting to make some improvements to her old home, in serious disrepair, that housed her four children, her husband and herself. She and her husband decided to compile a tape for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Surely the producers of the TV show would see this family’s need and want to take on the project. Her family worked hard to compile a video that displayed the hardship they had fallen under, with her husband explaining to the camera how he had recently lost his job at the local mill, which had recently shut down.

But the TV show receives a lot of tapes. And unfortunately the Barclays weren’t one of the chosen families.

So what did her community do? They built a house for her. The city of Old Town, Maine gathered and in the old “barn raising” tradition built a new, 3 story home for the Barclays within 22 days with the help of 400 volunteers and 22 businesses.

The Barclays were floored (literally!)

Says Sonya:

“This to me is more than a dream come true. And it didn’t take a TV show to build this house. It was built out of love, compassion and they knew that we needed it and they went ahead and did it.”

Apparently there is a scientific method to being happier. Turns out that if you reflect on your day before you go to bed, and do it a particular way, you have better dreams, sleep better, and generally feel happier.

The key? Reflecting on three positive things that happened during the day and figuring out why they happened. Analyze what went right, the experts say, and you create more of it, both mentally and physically.

Sounds good to me.

Courage can sometimes be a nebulous concept to define, we know it when we see it, but to put to words what it is, sometimes eludes us.

But it hasn’t eluded Amy Fenzel-Mergott.? She’s 32, the mother of two, the coach of a high school’s girls soccer team, and she’s battling breast cancer.? But instead of wringing her hands, she’s taken a bring it on attitude.? She’s getting treatments and living life to the fullest, even through the pain.? She’s trained and competed in a triathlon, looking forward to one the following year.? She’s not letting it conquer her spirits or her resolve.

There are no pity parties, nor will there be.

While she’s not alone in the diagnosis, she stands out as an example to her team and her community of pressing on despite all odds, and reaching out to others in the process.? She’s special because she chooses to fight and not let the disease win.? We should all be so courageous in the face of hardships in our own lives, overcoming and not capitulating to the troubles.