“Go on, lean in. Carpe. Hear it? Carpe. Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

Can you name the movie? I’ll give you a hint. Robin Williams played Mr. Keating, a vibrant, passionate teacher at an all-boys prep school.

Got it now? It’s Dead Poet’s Society.

With the possible exception of All the President's Men, no movie has shaped me the way Dead Poet’s Society has. I highly recommend renting it this weekend if you haven’t seen it. Whenever I watch it, I seriously consider becoming a teacher.

But it extends beyond that. It inspires me. It reminds me of how short life is, of how little time we have to make a difference in this world. And to seize the day.

For me, seizing the day means taking each day and enjoying it for what is. I try to leave the world a little better than how it was when I first woke up. I try to smile and laugh. I try to take every opportunity I’m given and use it to fullest.

I don’t mean to sound preachy. I’ve just been thinking about it a lot lately. There’s a new video on YouTube known as “The Last Lecture,” but fully titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” The lecture is given by Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given only a few months to live. His response was to give his children, ages 6, 3 and 22 months, words to live by. He ended up inspiring almost 2 million viewers on YouTube.

The entire video is over an hour long, and I haven’t had a chance to watch the whole thing. You can watch it by clicking here.

So how do you really achieve your childhood dreams, according to Pausch?

- “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.”

- “When there’s an elephant in the room, introduce him.”

- “Find the best in everybody. … Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting.”

- “Never lose the child-like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.”

- “It is not about achieving your dreams, but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.”

In the end though, it’s all about how he seizes each day. So how about you? How do you seize the day? How do you know you’re getting the most out of your life?