Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes | Richard St. John

Summary

The speaker recounts a pivotal encounter with a high school student that led to a seven-year quest to understand the essence of success. Through 500 interviews with successful individuals, the speaker identifies key ingredients for success: passion, hard work, practice, focus, pushing through self-doubt, serving others, innovative ideas, and persistence through challenges. The summary emphasizes that success is not accidental but a result of dedication, perseverance, and a mindset geared towards serving and creating value for others.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Passion is the driving force behind success for TED speakers; they do what they love, not just for money.
• 💰 Doing what you love often leads to financial success as well.
• 🔨 Success requires hard work and dedication, as emphasized by Rupert Murdoch.
• 🎉 TEDsters find joy in their work, suggesting a balance between hard work and enjoyment.
• 🧐 Mastery comes from focusing and practicing relentlessly, as Alex Garden suggests.
• 🎯 Focusing on one thing at a time is key to achieving success, according to Norman Jewison.
• 💪 Pushing oneself beyond limits, including overcoming shyness and self-doubt, is crucial for success.
• 👩‍🦳 Support from figures like mothers can be instrumental in pushing through challenges.
• 🤝 Serving others and providing value is a fundamental principle of success and wealth creation.
• 💡 Creativity and ideas are not magical but can be cultivated through simple practices.
• 🔄 Persistence is vital, especially in the face of failure and various forms of adversity.

Q & A

What was the initial motivation behind the speaker's decision to interview successful people?

The speaker was motivated to interview successful people after a high school student from a poor family asked him what leads to success, and he couldn't provide a good answer.

How many interviews did the speaker conduct over the seven years?

The speaker conducted 500 interviews over the seven years.

What is the first key factor mentioned by the speaker that leads to success?

The first key factor mentioned by the speaker that leads to success is passion.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between doing something out of love and financial success?

The speaker suggests that if you do something out of love, the money tends to come anyway, implying that passion can lead to financial success.

What does Rupert Murdoch emphasize as the key to success?

Rupert Murdoch emphasizes hard work as the key to success, stating that nothing comes easily but he has a lot of fun working.

What term does the speaker coin to describe people who work hard and have fun?

The speaker coins the term 'workafrolics' to describe people who work hard and have fun.

What does Alex Garden suggest is the secret to becoming successful?

Alex Garden suggests that the secret to becoming successful is to put your nose down in something and get really good at it through practice and focus.

What does Norman Jewison attribute success to?

Norman Jewison attributes success to focusing oneself on one thing.

What does David Gallo suggest is necessary to push oneself through?

David Gallo suggests that one must push oneself through shyness and self-doubt to achieve success.

What role does the speaker suggest mothers play in pushing individuals towards success?

The speaker suggests that mothers play a crucial role in pushing individuals towards success, as exemplified by Frank Gehry's story.

What does Sherwin Nuland consider a privilege and how does it relate to success?

Sherwin Nuland considers serving as a doctor a privilege, implying that serving others with value can lead to success and wealth.

What does Bill Gates credit as the foundation of his success?

Bill Gates credits having an idea — founding the first micro-computer software company — as the foundation of his success.

What does the speaker suggest is the number one reason for success according to Joe Kraus?

According to Joe Kraus, as mentioned by the speaker, persistence is the number one reason for success.

What acronym does the speaker use to describe the challenges one must persist through?

The speaker uses the acronym 'CRAP' which stands for Criticism, Rejection, Assholes, and Pressure to describe the challenges one must persist through.

What humorous suggestion does the speaker make for achieving success?

The speaker humorously suggests that one way to achieve success is to pay 4,000 bucks and come to TED.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Quest for Success

The speaker recounts a pivotal encounter with a high school student on a flight to TED, which sparked a quest to understand the secrets of success. Unable to answer the student's question about what leads to success, the speaker decided to leverage the TED community's collective wisdom. Over seven years and 500 interviews with successful individuals, the speaker distilled the key factors that contribute to success, which they will now share with the audience.

🔥 Passion: The Driving Force

The first ingredient to success highlighted is passion. The speaker emphasizes that successful individuals, referred to as TEDsters, are driven by their love for what they do rather than the pursuit of money. They find joy and fulfillment in their work, which paradoxically attracts financial success. The speaker cites Freeman Thomas and Carol Coletta, who exemplify the passion that fuels their endeavors.

💼 Hard Work and Enjoyment

Rupert Murdoch's contribution to the discussion is the importance of hard work. Despite the challenges, he finds enjoyment in his efforts, suggesting that TEDsters are not just workaholics but 'workafrolics', implying that they work hard but also find pleasure in their labor. This balance of hard work and fun is portrayed as a key component of their success.

🎯 Focus and Mastery

Alex Garden stresses the need to specialize and become exceptionally skilled in a particular area. The speaker underlines the absence of shortcuts to success, advocating for relentless practice and dedication. Norman Jewison echoes this sentiment, advising to concentrate efforts on one thing to achieve mastery and success.

🚀 Persistence and Overcoming Doubt

The speaker discusses the importance of pushing oneself beyond personal limitations such as shyness and self-doubt. David Gallo and Goldie Hawn share their experiences with self-doubt and the necessity to persevere. The speaker humorously notes the role of mothers in pushing their children to succeed, as exemplified by Frank Gehry's story.

🤝 Serving Others

Sherwin Nuland and the speaker advocate for the concept of service as a path to success. They argue that aspiring to be a millionaire should be coupled with the understanding that one must provide valuable service to others. This approach, they suggest, is the true way to wealth and fulfillment.

💡 Creativity and Ideas

Bill Gates is highlighted for his groundbreaking idea of founding a micro-computer software company, illustrating the power of creativity and innovation. The speaker dispels the myth of a magical process for generating ideas, instead promoting the idea that creativity is the result of doing simple things consistently.

🔒 Persistence Through Adversity

Joe Kraus identifies persistence as the primary reason for success, emphasizing the need to endure failure and various forms of adversity, encapsulated by the acronym CRAP, which stands for Criticism, Rejection, Assholes, and Pressure. The speaker concludes with a light-hearted suggestion to attend TED or, if not possible, to follow the eight principles shared to achieve success.

Keywords

💡Success

Success is a broad concept that encompasses the achievement of one's goals and aspirations. In the context of the video, success is linked to personal fulfillment and accomplishment. It is a central theme as the speaker seeks to understand what drives successful individuals and shares this knowledge with young students. An example from the script is the speaker's quest to find out 'What leads to success?' after being asked by a high school student.

💡Passion

Passion refers to a strong emotional connection or enthusiasm for a subject or activity. In the video, passion is highlighted as a key ingredient for success. It is portrayed as a driving force that motivates TEDsters to pursue their goals not for monetary gain but out of love for what they do. For instance, Freeman Thomas is quoted saying, 'I'm driven by my passion.'

💡Work

Work, in this context, signifies the effort and dedication one puts into their endeavors. The speaker emphasizes that success comes from hard work and not from luck or ease. The script mentions Rupert Murdoch attributing his success to hard work and having fun, indicating that successful individuals work hard but also enjoy the process.

💡Practice

Practice is the act of repeatedly performing an activity to improve or master it. The video underscores the importance of practice in achieving success. It is mentioned by Alex Garden, who advises to 'put your nose down in something, and get damn good at it,' suggesting that there is no shortcut to success and that it requires consistent practice.

💡Focus

Focus denotes the act of concentrating one's attention on a single task or goal. In the video, Norman Jewison is quoted emphasizing the importance of focusing on one thing to achieve success. It implies that a concentrated effort towards a specific objective can lead to better results and is a key aspect of successful individuals' approach.

💡Push

To push means to exert effort or force to move something forward or to overcome obstacles. In the video, David Gallo encourages pushing oneself physically and mentally, suggesting that success requires overcoming personal barriers such as shyness and self-doubt. The concept of 'push' is also related to the idea of persistence and resilience in the face of challenges.

💡Serve

Serve implies the act of providing a service or fulfilling a function for others. The video mentions Sherwin Nuland's view of serving as a doctor as a privilege, which ties into the broader message that serving others and providing value can be a path to success and fulfillment. It challenges the notion of self-centered ambition and promotes altruism as a component of success.

💡Ideas

Ideas are original thoughts or concepts that can lead to innovation or creative solutions. In the video, Bill Gates is mentioned as having a successful idea with the founding of a micro-computer software company. The script suggests that creativity and the ability to generate effective ideas are crucial for success and that there is no magic to it, just simple actions that foster idea generation.

💡Persist

To persist means to continue in a course of action despite difficulty or opposition. The video emphasizes persistence as a critical factor for success, as highlighted by Joe Kraus who identifies it as the primary reason for his success. The script humorously defines 'crap' as an acronym for Criticism, Rejection, Assholes, and Pressure, indicating that persistence is needed to overcome such negative experiences.

💡Workafrolics

Workafrolics is a playful term coined in the video to describe individuals who work hard but also find enjoyment in their work. It is a portmanteau of 'workaholics' and 'frolics', suggesting that successful people are not just obsessed with work but also make time for fun and enjoyment. The term is used to illustrate that a balance between hard work and enjoyment can lead to success.

Highlights

The presentation is a condensed version of a two-hour talk for high school students.

The journey to TED led to a conversation with a high school student seeking advice on achieving success.

The speaker felt compelled to ask successful people at TED about the secrets to their success.

After seven years and 500 interviews, the speaker shares the key factors contributing to success.

Passion is the first ingredient to success, as emphasized by TEDsters who do what they love.

Money often follows when one pursues their passion rather than doing it for financial gain.

Hard work is a universal trait among successful individuals, as noted by Rupert Murdoch.

TEDsters find enjoyment in their hard work, being 'workafrolics' rather than workaholics.

Success requires dedication and becoming exceptionally skilled in a particular area.

The importance of focus on one thing at a time for success, as suggested by Norman Jewison.

Personal growth involves pushing oneself beyond limits, including overcoming shyness and self-doubt.

Support systems, like mothers, play a crucial role in pushing individuals towards success.

Serving others with value is a fundamental principle for achieving success and wealth.

Creativity and ideas are not magical but result from simple and consistent efforts.

Persistence is identified as the primary reason for success, especially through failure and adversity.

The speaker humorously suggests attending TED or following the eight identified success factors.

The speaker thanks the TED community for their insights and contributions to the discussion on success.

Transcripts

This is really a two-hour presentation I give to high school students,

cut down to three minutes.

And it all started one day on a plane, on my way to TED,

seven years ago.

And in the seat next to me was a high school student, a teenager,

and she came from a really poor family.

And she wanted to make something of her life,

and she asked me a simple little question.

She said, "What leads to success?"

And I felt really badly,

because I couldn't give her a good answer.

So I get off the plane, and I come to TED.

And I think, jeez, I'm in the middle of a room of successful people!

So why don't I ask them what helped them succeed,

and pass it on to kids?

So here we are, seven years, 500 interviews later,

and I'm going to tell you what really leads to success

and makes TEDsters tick.

And the first thing is passion.

Freeman Thomas says, "I'm driven by my passion."

TEDsters do it for love; they don't do it for money.

Carol Coletta says, "I would pay someone to do what I do."

And the interesting thing is:

if you do it for love, the money comes anyway.

Work! Rupert Murdoch said to me, "It's all hard work.

Nothing comes easily. But I have a lot of fun."

Did he say fun? Rupert? Yes!

(Laughter)

TEDsters do have fun working. And they work hard.

I figured, they're not workaholics. They're workafrolics.

(Laughter)

Good!

(Applause)

Alex Garden says, "To be successful, put your nose down in something

and get damn good at it."

There's no magic; it's practice, practice, practice.

And it's focus.

Norman Jewison said to me,

"I think it all has to do with focusing yourself on one thing."

And push!

David Gallo says, "Push yourself.

Physically, mentally, you've got to push, push, push."

You've got to push through shyness and self-doubt.

Goldie Hawn says, "I always had self-doubts.

I wasn't good enough; I wasn't smart enough.

I didn't think I'd make it."

Now it's not always easy to push yourself,

and that's why they invented mothers.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

Frank Gehry said to me,

"My mother pushed me."

(Laughter)

Serve!

Sherwin Nuland says, "It was a privilege to serve as a doctor."

A lot of kids want to be millionaires.

The first thing I say is:

"OK, well you can't serve yourself;

you've got to serve others something of value.

Because that's the way people really get rich."

Ideas!

TEDster Bill Gates says, "I had an idea:

founding the first micro-computer software company."

I'd say it was a pretty good idea.

And there's no magic to creativity in coming up with ideas --

it's just doing some very simple things.

And I give lots of evidence.

Persist!

Joe Kraus says,

"Persistence is the number one reason for our success."

You've got to persist through failure. You've got to persist through crap!

Which of course means "Criticism, Rejection, Assholes and Pressure."

(Laughter)

So, the answer to this question is simple:

Pay 4,000 bucks and come to TED.

(Laughter)

Or failing that, do the eight things -- and trust me,

these are the big eight things that lead to success.

Thank you TEDsters for all your interviews!

(Applause)