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Dead men tell no tales but they can provide inspiration long after they’re gone. Such is the case with Dr. Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh who died four years ago this month. But the message he delivered after being given a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer 11 months before he died lives on thanks to videos and a book he co-authored on achieving dreams.

One such message came on “Oprah” during his final months. Paush, whose inspirational spirit became public after he delivered “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” made it clear to the audience that he wasn’t letting his death sentence ruin his remaining months.

“Let’s be clear, this stinks,” he said. “I pretty much can’t control the cards I’m dealt but I can control the cards I play.”

A segment of his talk mentioned Tigger and Eeyore from “Winnie the Pooh” and can be related to how we go about our jobs as Realtors. (HouseHunt’s office is close to Disneyland, so humor me a little, OK?)

Basically, Pausch asked the audience whether they were Tiggers or Eeyores, with the former being energetic, optimistic and enthusiastic and the latter being pessimistic, gloomy and depressed. There’s no doubt what role Pausch chose, but how about you?

The real estate profession has been a downer, no doubt, the past five or six years but is starting to rebound a bit. This is the perfect time to go into Tigger mode, attack each day with vigor and show your prospects and clients some optimism by doing all you can to help them achieve the American Dream. After all, they’re likely feeling some angst going into the market because of previous bad news and the fact that it’s a huge investment for them to make.

The revitalized energy you put into your job will not only rub off on prospects and clients but on co-workers and peers as well. Having a positive attitude makes us feel so much better about what we do at work, home and play. Think about new ways you can dig deeper to do your job and then do your best to see those strategies through. Soon you’ll be recognized as someone who is the consummate professional who is also a business leader and someone people can trust to get the job done.

“If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself and the dreams will come to you,” Pausch said.

Words to live by, for sure.

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