8 secrets of success
-
0:00 - 0:03This is really a two-hour presentation
I give to high school students, -
0:03 - 0:05cut down to three minutes.
-
0:05 - 0:07And it all started one day
on a plane, on my way to TED, -
0:07 - 0:09seven years ago.
-
0:09 - 0:13And in the seat next to me
was a high school student, a teenager, -
0:13 - 0:15and she came from a really poor family.
-
0:15 - 0:18And she wanted to make
something of her life, -
0:18 - 0:20and she asked me a simple little question.
-
0:20 - 0:22She said, "What leads to success?"
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0:22 - 0:23And I felt really badly,
-
0:23 - 0:26because I couldn't give her a good answer.
-
0:26 - 0:28So I get off the plane, and I come to TED.
-
0:28 - 0:32And I think, jeez, I'm in the middle
of a room of successful people! -
0:32 - 0:34So why don't I ask them
what helped them succeed, -
0:34 - 0:36and pass it on to kids?
-
0:37 - 0:40So here we are, seven years,
500 interviews later, -
0:40 - 0:43and I'm going to tell you
what really leads to success -
0:43 - 0:45and makes TEDsters tick.
-
0:45 - 0:47And the first thing is passion.
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0:48 - 0:50Freeman Thomas says,
"I'm driven by my passion." -
0:51 - 0:53TEDsters do it for love;
they don't do it for money. -
0:53 - 0:57Carol Coletta says, "I would pay
someone to do what I do." -
0:57 - 0:58And the interesting thing is:
-
0:58 - 1:00if you do it for love,
the money comes anyway. -
1:01 - 1:04Work! Rupert Murdoch said
to me, "It's all hard work. -
1:04 - 1:07Nothing comes easily.
But I have a lot of fun." -
1:07 - 1:10Did he say fun? Rupert? Yes!
-
1:10 - 1:11(Laughter)
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1:12 - 1:14TEDsters do have fun working.
And they work hard. -
1:14 - 1:17I figured, they're not workaholics.
They're workafrolics. -
1:17 - 1:19(Laughter)
-
1:19 - 1:20Good!
-
1:20 - 1:21(Applause)
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1:21 - 1:24Alex Garden says, "To be successful,
put your nose down in something -
1:24 - 1:26and get damn good at it."
-
1:26 - 1:28There's no magic;
it's practice, practice, practice. -
1:28 - 1:29And it's focus.
-
1:30 - 1:31Norman Jewison said to me,
-
1:31 - 1:34"I think it all has to do
with focusing yourself on one thing." -
1:35 - 1:36And push!
-
1:36 - 1:38David Gallo says, "Push yourself.
-
1:38 - 1:41Physically, mentally,
you've got to push, push, push." -
1:41 - 1:44You've got to push through shyness
and self-doubt. -
1:44 - 1:46Goldie Hawn says,
"I always had self-doubts. -
1:46 - 1:48I wasn't good enough;
I wasn't smart enough. -
1:48 - 1:50I didn't think I'd make it."
-
1:50 - 1:52Now it's not always easy to push yourself,
-
1:52 - 1:54and that's why they invented mothers.
-
1:54 - 1:55(Laughter)
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1:55 - 1:57(Applause)
-
1:57 - 2:00Frank Gehry said to me,
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2:00 - 2:01"My mother pushed me."
-
2:01 - 2:03(Laughter)
-
2:03 - 2:04Serve!
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2:04 - 2:07Sherwin Nuland says,
"It was a privilege to serve as a doctor." -
2:08 - 2:10A lot of kids want to be millionaires.
-
2:10 - 2:11The first thing I say is:
-
2:12 - 2:13"OK, well you can't serve yourself;
-
2:13 - 2:16you've got to serve others
something of value. -
2:16 - 2:18Because that's the way
people really get rich." -
2:19 - 2:20Ideas!
-
2:20 - 2:23TEDster Bill Gates says, "I had an idea:
-
2:23 - 2:26founding the first micro-computer
software company." -
2:26 - 2:28I'd say it was a pretty good idea.
-
2:28 - 2:31And there's no magic to creativity
in coming up with ideas -- -
2:31 - 2:33it's just doing some very simple things.
-
2:33 - 2:35And I give lots of evidence.
-
2:35 - 2:36Persist!
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2:37 - 2:38Joe Kraus says,
-
2:38 - 2:40"Persistence is the number
one reason for our success." -
2:41 - 2:44You've got to persist through failure.
You've got to persist through crap! -
2:44 - 2:48Which of course means "Criticism,
Rejection, Assholes and Pressure." -
2:48 - 2:51(Laughter)
-
2:51 - 2:54So, the answer to this question is simple:
-
2:54 - 2:57Pay 4,000 bucks and come to TED.
-
2:57 - 2:58(Laughter)
-
2:58 - 3:01Or failing that, do
the eight things -- and trust me, -
3:01 - 3:04these are the big eight things
that lead to success. -
3:04 - 3:07Thank you TEDsters
for all your interviews! -
3:07 - 3:10(Applause)
- Title:
- 8 secrets of success
- Speaker:
- Richard St. John
- Description:
-
Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 03:13
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for 8 secrets of success | ||
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for 8 secrets of success | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for 8 secrets of success | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for 8 secrets of success | ||
TED edited English subtitles for 8 secrets of success | ||
TED added a translation |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 3/19/2015.