How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals | Stephen Duneier | TEDxTucson

Summary

演讲者通过幽默的方式阐述了如何通过小幅度的调整和决策来实现伟大的目标。他首先以复制一张图片为例，说明即使是简单的任务，如绘制一个灰色方块，也是实现更复杂目标的基础。接着，他引用了艺术家Chuck Close和网球运动员Novak Djokovic的例子，强调了持续的小改进如何带来巨大的成功。演讲者分享了自己如何通过小幅度调整日常习惯，如走路、学习德语、阅读书籍和进行慈善活动，来实现个人目标。他还讲述了自己如何通过小幅度的改进，从C-学生变成了优秀学生，并在职业生涯中取得了显著成就。最后，他鼓励听众通过小幅度调整自己的日常习惯来追求自己的梦想。

Takeaways

• 🎨 **简化复杂任务**：通过将复杂的图像简化为基本的灰色方块，说明即使是简单的技能也能构建出复杂的成果。
• 🌟 **小步快跑**：Chuck Close等成功艺术家通过不断微调和改进，实现了卓越的成就。
• 📈 **决策的重要性**：Novak Djokovic通过不断优化决策成功率，显著提升了比赛成绩和收入。
• 🚀 **边际改善的力量**：即使是微小的改进，也能在长期累积中产生巨大的影响。
• 📚 **分步学习**：通过将学习任务分解为短时间可集中注意力的小任务，实现了学术上的成功。
• 💼 **职业发展**：在职业上通过持续的小步改进，逐步攀登至行业的顶端。
• 🚗 **个人成长**：通过调整日常习惯，如在通勤路上学习新语言，实现了个人技能的提升。
• 🧗‍♂️ **目标分解**：将宏伟的目标分解为一系列小决策，逐步实现，如通过一次只走几步来完成徒步旅行。
• 📖 **持续阅读**：通过每天至少阅读一个词的方式，最终读完了50本书。
• 🧵 **创造性追求**：通过学习新技能如编织，不仅实现了个人目标，还创造了社会影响力。
• 🌱 **持续成长**：即使在失败和挑战中，持续的小步改进最终可以带来意想不到的成就，如创造吉尼斯世界纪录。

Q & A

演讲者如何用一个简单的比喻来说明成为世界级艺术家的技巧？

演讲者通过问观众是否能用铅笔和纸复制一个灰色方块的图像，然后指出如果每个人都能画一个灰色方块，那么理论上就能画出任何数量的灰色方块，从而复制任何图像。这个比喻用来说明，通过掌握基本的技能，可以逐步构建起更复杂的艺术作品。

Chuck Close是如何使用类似于演讲者提到的技巧来创作他的艺术作品的？

Chuck Close是一位世界上收入最高的艺术家之一，他通过将图像分解成小的单元格或像素，然后逐一精心绘制每个部分，最终创作出完整的作品。这种方法体现了演讲者提到的通过解决小问题来达成大目标的思想。

演讲者提到了哪些因素会影响我们实现雄心勃勃的梦想？

演讲者指出，实现雄心勃勃的梦想更多地与我们如何解决问题和做出决策有关，而不是拥有某种神奇的技能或天赋。他还强调了我们日常面临的数百万决策的连续和复合性质，以及即使是微小的流程改进也能对最终结果产生巨大影响。

Novak Djokovic是如何通过做出正确的小决策来提高他的比赛成绩的？

Novak Djokovic通过在比赛过程中做出正确的小决策来提高他的胜率，从而提高他的世界排名和获得更多的奖金。他并没有直接控制比赛的最终结果，而是通过提高决策成功率来增加获胜的概率。

演讲者在大学三年级时做了哪些调整来提高他的学习成绩？

演讲者决定不再只是旁观自己的决策过程，而是成为一个积极的参与者。他意识到自己无法长时间集中注意力，因此他开始将学习任务分解成只需要集中注意力五到十分钟就能完成的小任务，比如阅读几段文字。完成这些小任务后，他会休息一下，然后再回来继续下一个任务。

演讲者是如何通过小的调整来实现他的个人目标的？

演讲者通过将大目标分解成小的、可管理的任务，并在过程中进行边际改进来实现他的个人目标。例如，他通过每天步行一个半小时的通勤时间来学习德语，通过设定攀登33条小径的目标来减肥和提高体能，以及通过每天阅读来完成阅读50本书的目标。

演讲者在实现他的新年决心时遇到了哪些挑战？

演讲者在尝试完成他的'给予'新年决心时遇到了一些挑战，比如他因为在英国居住过被拒绝献血，因为年龄太大被拒绝捐精，以及因为头发颜色被拒绝捐发。这些经历表明，即使在追求积极目标的过程中也可能会遇到失败。

演讲者如何通过学习新技能来完成他的新年决心？

演讲者通过学习12个新技能来完成他的新年决心，这些技能包括独轮车、跑酷、走绳、跳高跷和鼓。当他完成这些技能后，他的妻子建议他学习编织，虽然他最初对此并不热衷，但最终他不仅学会了编织，还发展出了用纱线装饰公共设施的爱好，即所谓的'yarnbombing'。

演讲者是如何通过小步骤实现他的宏伟项目的？

演讲者通过将宏伟的项目分解成小步骤，并在每一步中做出正确的决策来实现。例如，在完成攀登33条小径的目标时，他强调了从沙发上站起来、穿上徒步服装、走出门、开车到小径起点、开始徒步这些小步骤的重要性。

演讲者是如何成为世界上最大的钩针祖母方块的吉尼斯世界纪录保持者的？

演讲者通过连续两年、七个月、十七天的不懈努力，一针一线地制作了一个超过十米见方的钩针祖母方块，使用了超过30英里的纱线，最终被吉尼斯世界纪录认定为世界上最大的钩针祖母方块。

演讲者在演讲中传达的核心信息是什么？

演讲者的核心信息是鼓励人们通过对自己的日常习惯和过程进行小的调整，来实现他们雄心勃勃的梦想。他通过个人经历和成就展示了即使是小的、边际上的改进也可以积累成巨大的成功。

Outlines

00:00

🎨 艺术与问题的解决方式

本段讲述了通过简单的方法——绘制一个灰色方块，来引出艺术创作和解决问题的相似性。演讲者提出，即使是世界级的艺术家，如Chuck Close，也是通过不断积累小的决策和技巧来创作艺术作品。演讲者强调，实现宏伟梦想的关键在于我们如何解决问题和做出决策，而不是拥有某种神奇的技能或天赋。通过分析诺瓦克·德约科维奇的职业生涯，演讲者展示了即使是微小的决策成功率提升，也能对最终结果产生巨大影响。

05:03

📚 学业成绩的边际改进

演讲者分享了自己在学业上的经历，从幼儿园到高中毕业一直是C等级的学生，但在大三时决定做出改变。他开始主动参与决策过程，将大任务分解成只需专注五到十分钟就能完成的小任务。通过这种方式，他的成绩显著提升，最终进入了世界顶尖的研究生项目，并在金融和经济学领域取得了成功。

10:04

🚗 个人生活中的边际调整

演讲者将边际改进的方法应用于个人生活中，包括学习新语言、获得赛车执照、直升机飞行、攀岩、跳伞和特技飞行。他特别提到了如何通过每天的小改变，比如在通勤路上学习德语，最终达到流利程度。他鼓励听众通过边际调整来实现自己的宏伟目标。

15:07

🏞️ 健身与户外活动的决策

演讲者通过设定新年目标，如徒步穿越圣巴巴拉山脉的所有33条小径，来实现减肥和提高体能的目标。他强调，实现这些目标的关键在于做出一系列小决策，如放下遥控器、穿上徒步装备、走出家门等。他还提到了阅读50本书和完成其他新年目标的经历，包括慈善和学习新技能，如编织和钩编，最终创造了世界纪录的最大的钩编祖母方格。

🧵 钩编与艺术创作的结合

演讲者通过将钩编与艺术创作结合，开始了名为'The Yarnbomber'的项目，通过社交媒体吸引了数千名追随者。他通过钩编艺术改造了公共空间，包括用纱线包裹巨石和医院。尽管在过程中遇到了一些失败，但他的坚持和创新精神最终使他获得了吉尼斯世界纪录，并在艺术界获得了认可。

Keywords

💡边际改进

边际改进指的是对过程或方法进行小幅度但持续的改善，以提高效率或成功率。在视频中，演讲者通过个人经历和他人的故事强调了边际改进在实现目标中的重要性。例如，通过将大目标分解为小任务，演讲者在学业、职业和个人生活中都取得了显著成就。

💡决策成功率

决策成功率是指在特定情境下做出正确决策的比率。视频中以诺瓦克·德约科维奇的网球生涯为例，说明了即使决策成功率只提高几个百分点，也能显著提升比赛成绩和职业生涯的成功。

💡大目标

大目标是指个人设定的具有挑战性和雄心的长期目标。视频中演讲者鼓励听众将这些目标分解为小步骤，并逐步实现。例如，演讲者通过每天的步行习惯和对户外活动的热爱，设定了徒步33条小径的目标。

💡过程改进

过程改进是指对完成任务的方法或步骤进行优化，以提高效率或成果。视频中演讲者通过自己在学习和工作中的经验，展示了如何通过改进过程来实现显著的成就，如从C级学生成为优秀毕业生，再到成为顶尖的金融专业人士。

💡专注

专注是指将注意力集中在特定任务或活动上的能力。视频中演讲者提到，他在学校时难以长时间专注，但通过改变学习方法，如将大任务分解为小任务，成功克服了这一难题。

💡艺术创作

艺术创作是指艺术家通过特定的技术或方法创作艺术作品的过程。视频中通过Chuck Close的例子，说明了即使是世界级的艺术家，也是通过看似简单的技术，如点描法，创作出复杂的艺术作品。

💡自我提升

自我提升是指个人通过学习新技能、改进习惯或克服挑战来提高自己的能力或成就。视频中演讲者通过学习德语、获得赛车执照、学习直升机飞行等经历，展示了自我提升的过程。

💡慈善决议

慈善决议是指个人为了帮助他人或社会而设定的目标或承诺。视频中演讲者提到了他的“给予决议”，包括进行12项慈善活动，这些活动不涉及金钱捐赠，而是通过行动直接贡献社会。

💡学习决议

学习决议是指个人为了个人成长和技能提升而设定的学习新技能的目标。视频中演讲者通过学习杂技、打击乐器、编织等12项新技能，展示了持续学习和自我挑战的重要性。

💡吉尼斯世界纪录

吉尼斯世界纪录是指在特定领域或类别中创下的世界最高或最低记录。视频中演讲者通过制作世界上最大的钩针祖母方格，成功创下了吉尼斯世界纪录，体现了通过持续努力和边际改进可以达到非凡成就。

💡社会媒体

社会媒体是指允许用户创建和分享内容或与他人交流的在线平台。视频中提到演讲者作为'The Yarnbomber'在社交媒体上拥有数千追随者，这表明社会媒体可以作为展示个人成就、分享经验和吸引支持者的平台。

Highlights

演讲者通过展示如何用铅笔和纸复制布拉德·皮特的图像，引出了成为世界级艺术家所需的技能。

通过制作一个简单的灰色方块，演讲者说明了复制任何图像的基础原理。

Chuck Close，作为世界上收入最高的艺术家之一，使用了类似的技巧创作艺术作品。

实现宏伟梦想的关键在于解决问题的方法和决策，而非单纯的技能或天赋。

通过分析诺瓦克·德约科维奇的职业生涯，展示了小幅度改进决策过程对结果的巨大影响。

德约科维奇通过提高决策成功率，显著提升了他在网球界的地位和收入。

演讲者分享了自己从成绩平平到成为优秀学生的经历，强调了小幅度调整决策过程的重要性。

通过将大目标分解为小任务，并在过程中进行小幅度改进，演讲者在学术和职业生涯中取得了成功。

演讲者通过在通勤路上学习德语，展示了如何通过小幅度调整日常习惯来实现大目标。

通过小幅度调整，演讲者不仅学会了德语，还获得了赛车执照，学会了驾驶直升机等技能。

演讲者通过设定新年目标，如徒步33条小径和阅读50本书，鼓励人们通过小步骤实现大目标。

演讲者通过参与慈善活动和学习新技能，如编织和钩针，展示了小幅度改进的力量。

演讲者通过钩编巨大的祖母方格，创造了吉尼斯世界纪录，证明了持续小改进的价值。

演讲者鼓励听众通过小幅度调整自己的日常习惯，去追求和实现自己的宏伟目标。

演讲者强调，即使是C级学生或难以长时间集中注意力的人，也能通过小幅度改进取得成功。

演讲者的经历被《新闻周刊》等媒体报道，展示了小幅度改进方法的广泛影响。

演讲者通过自己的经历，证明了即使没有特殊的天赋或技能，也能通过小幅度改进实现大目标。

Transcripts

Translator: Oriel Yu Reviewer: Queenie Lee

By a show of hands.

How many of you believe you could replicate this image of Brad Pitt

with just a pencil and piece of paper?

Well, I'm going to show you how to do this.

And in so doing,

I'm going to give you the skill necessary

to become a world-class artist.

And it shouldn't take more than about 15 seconds.

But before I do that,

how many of you believe you could replicate this image

of a solid gray square?

(Laughter)

Every one of us.

And if you can make one gray square,

you can make two, three, nine ...

Truth of the matter is,

if you could made just one gray square,

it'd be very difficult to argue

that you couldn't make every gray square necessary

to replicate the image in its entirety.

And there you have it.

I've just given you the skills necessary to become a world-class artist.

(Laughter)

I know what you're thinking.

"That's not real art,

certainly wouldn't make me a world-class artist."

So let me introduce you to Chuck Close.

He's one of the highest-earning artists in the entire world, for decades,

he creates his art using this exact technique.

You see, what stands between us

and achieving even our most ambitious dreams

has far less to do with possessing some magical skill or talent,

and far more to do with how we approach problems

and make decisions to solve them.

And because of the continuous and compounding nature

of all those millions of decisions

that we face on a regular basis,

even a marginal improvement in our process

can have a huge impact on our end results.

And I'll prove this to you

by taking a look at the career of Novak Djokovic.

Back in 2004,

when he first became a professional tennis player,

he was ranked 680th in the world.

It wasn't until the end of his third year

that he jumped up to be ranked third in the world.

He went from making 250,000 a year to 5 million a year,

in prize money alone,

and of course, he did this by winning more matches.

In 2011, he became the number one ranked men's tennis player in the world,

started earning an average of 14 million a year in prize money alone

and winning a dominating 90% of his matches.

Now, here's what's really interesting

about all of these very impressive statistics.

Novak doesn't control any of them.

What he does control are all the tiny little decisions

that he needs to make correctly along the way

in order to move the probability

in favor of him achieving these types of results.

And we can quantify and track his progress in this area

by taking a look at the percentage of points that he wins.

Because in tennis

the typical point involves one to maybe three decisions,

I like to refer to this as his decision success rate.

So, back when he was winning about 49% of the matches he was playing,

he was winning about 49% of the points he played.

Then to jump up, become number three in the world,

and actually earn five million dollars a year

for swinging a racquet,

he had to improve his decision success rate

to just 52 percent.

Then to become not just number one

but maybe one of the greatest players to ever play the game,

he had to improve his decision success rate

to just 55 percent.

And I keep using this word "just."

I don't want to imply this is easy to do,

clearly, it's not.

But the type of marginal improvements that I'm talking about

are easily achievable by every single one of us in this room.

And I'll show you what I mean.

From kindergarten, all the way through to my high school graduation -

yes, that's high school graduation for me -

(Laughter)

every one of my report cards basically said the same thing:

Steven is a very bright young boy,

if only he would just settle down and focus.

What they didn't realize was I wanted that

even more than they wanted it for me,

I just couldn't.

And so, from kindergarten straight through the 2nd year of college,

I was a really consistent C, C- student.

But then going into my junior year,

I'd had enough.

I thought I want to make a change.

I'm going to make a marginal adjustment,

and I'm going to stop being a spectator of my decision-making

and start becoming an active participant.

And so, that year,

instead of pretending, again,

that I would suddenly be able to settle down and focus on things

for more than five or ten minutes at a time,

I decided to assume I wouldn't.

And so, if I wanted to achieve the type of outcome that I desire -

doing well in school -

I was going to actually have to change my approach.

And so I made a marginal adjustment.

If I would get an assignment, let's say, read five chapters in a book,

I wouldn't think of it as five chapters,

I wouldn't even think of it as one chapter.

I would break it down into these tasks that I could achieve,

that would require me to focus for just five or ten minutes at a time.

So, maybe three or four paragraphs.

That's it.

I would do that and when I was done with those five or ten minutes,

I would get up.

I'd go shoot some hoops, do a little drawing,

maybe play video games for a few minutes,

and then I come back.

Not necessarily to the same assignment,

not even necessarily to the same subject,

but just to another task that required just five to ten minutes of my attention.

From that point forward,

all the way through to graduation,

I was a straight-A student, Dean's List,

President's Honor Roll, every semester.

I then went on to one of the top graduate programs in the world

for finance and economics.

Same approach, same results.

So then, I graduate.

I start my career and I'm thinking,

this worked really well for me.

You know, you take these big concepts,

these complex ideas, these big assignments,

you break them down too much more manageable tasks,

and then along the way,

you make a marginal improvement to the process

that ups the odds of success in your favor.

I'm going to try and do this in my career.

So I did.

I started out as an exotic derivatives trader for credit Swiss.

It then led me to be global head of currency option trading

for Bank of America,

global head of emerging markets for AIG international.

It helped me deliver top-tier returns

as a global macro hedge fund manager for 12 years

and to become founder and CIO of two award-winning hedge funds.

So it gets to 2001,

and I'm thinking, this whole idea,

it worked really well in school,

it's been serving me well as a professional,

why aren't I applying this in my personal life,

like to all those big ambitious goals I have for myself?

So one day, I'm walking to work,

and at the time my commute

was a walk from one end of Hyde Park to the other, in London.

It took me about 45 minutes each way,

an hour and a half a day, seven and a half hours a week,

30 hours a month, 360 hours a year,

when I was awake, aware, basically wasting time,

listening to music on my iPod.

So on my way home from work that day I stopped at the store.

I picked up the first 33 CDs in the Pimsleur German language program,

ripped them and put them onto my iPod.

But I didn't stop there.

Because the truth of the matter is, I'm an undisciplined person.

And I knew that at some point,

I'd switch away from the language and go back to the music.

So I removed that temptation by removing all of the music.

That left me with just one option:

listen to the language tapes.

So ten months later, I'd listened to all 99 CDs

in the German language program,

listened to each one three times each.

And I went to Berlin for a 16-day intensive German course.

When I was done, I invited my wife and kids to meet me.

We walked around the city.

I spoke German to the Germans, they spoke German back to me.

My kids were amazed.

(Laughter)

I mean they couldn't close their jaws.

But you and I, we know,

there is actually nothing amazing about what I've just done.

I made this marginal adjustment to my daily routine.

This marginal adjustment to my process.

(German) Und jetzt, ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch.

And now I could speak some German.

And so in that moment, I'm thinking,

it's not supposed to be this easy for a guy like me - an old guy -

to learn a new language.

You're supposed to do that when you're a kid.

And yet here I had done it.

This marginal adjustment.

So what other big ambitious goals I've been holding onto,

putting off until retirement,

that I could potentially achieve

if I just made a marginal adjustment to my routine?

So I started doing them.

I earned my auto racing license.

I learned how to fly a helicopter,

did rock-climbing, skydiving.

I learned how to fly planes aerobatically.

Well, if you're like me, back in 2007,

you might have the same goal I had.

I was just moving back from London.

I was about 25 pounds overweight and out of shape,

and I wanted to rectify that.

So I could go to the typical route,

you know, I could write a check to a gym I'd never go to.

Or I could swear to myself that I will never again

eat those foods that I love

but are doing all the damage.

And I knew that going that route rarely results in the outcome you desire.

So I decided to become an active participant.

I thought about the habits and passions that I've developed in my life,

and I thought, can I make just a marginal adjustment to them

so that they work in my favor as opposed to against me?

And so I did.

I've got a habit

where I've been walking an hour and a half a day for the last seven years,

and I've got this passion for being in the outdoors.

And so that year,

I didn't actually set the new year's resolution to lose 25 pounds.

I set a resolution to hike all 33 trails

in the front country of Santa Barbara Mountains.

And I'd never been on a hike before in my life.

(Laughter)

But the truth of the matter is, it's not about the 33 trails.

You have to break this big ambitious goal

down into these more manageable decisions -

the types of decisions that need to be made correctly along the way

in order to improve the odds of achieving the type of outcome you desire.

It's not about even one trail.

It's about those tiny little decisions,

you know, like when you are sitting at your desk,

putting in just a little extra time at the end of a day.

Or you're lying on your couch,

clicking through the channels on your remote control,

or scrolling through your Facebook feed,

and in that moment, make the decision to put it down.

You go put on your hiking clothes,

you go walk outside your front door, and you shut it behind you.

You walk to your car, get in, drive to the trailhead.

You get out of the car at the trailhead,

and you take one step, you take two steps, three steps.

Every one of those steps that I have just described

is a tiny little decision that needs to be made correctly along the way

in order to achieve the ultimate outcome.

Now, when I say I want to hike 33 trails in the front country,

people think about the decisions at the top of the mountain.

That's not what it's about.

Because if you don't make the right decision

when you're on the couch,

there is no decision that occurs at the top of the mountain.

So by the end of the year,

I'd hiked all 33 trails in the front country;

I did them a couple of times each.

I even did a few in the backcountry.

I lost the 25 pounds, and I capped the year off

by doing the hardest half marathon in the world -

the Pier to Peak.

In 2009, I got really ambitious,

ambitious for a guy who still, to this day, cannot settle down

and focus on anything for more than ten or ten minutes at a time,

and that was to read 50 books.

But again, it's not about reading 50 books.

It's not even about reading one book.

It's not about reading a chapter, a paragraph, a sentence.

It's about that decision

when you're sitting at your desk at the end of the day,

or when you're lying on the couch,

or flicking through your Facebook feed,

and you put down the phone.

You pick up a book and you read one word.

If you read one word, you'll read two words, three words;

you'll read a sentence, a paragraph, a page, a chapter, a book;

you'll read ten books, 30 books, 50 books.

In 2012, I got really ambitious.

I set 24 new year's resolutions.

12 of them were what I call giving resolutions,

where I did 12 charitable things that didn't involve writing a check.

But it's not without its failures.

I tried to donate blood,

and they rejected me because I'd lived in the UK.

I tried to donate my sperm; they rejected me because I was too old.

I tried to donate my hair,

and it turns out nobody wants grey hair.

(Laughter)

So, here I was trying to do something to make myself feel good,

and it was having the opposite effect.

So anyway, I've also had these 12 learning resolutions,

to learn 12 new skills.

And when I was done with unicycling, parkour, slacklining,

jumping stilts and drumming,

my wife suggested that I learned how to knit.

(Laughter)

And I'll be honest, I wasn't all that passionate about knitting.

But one day, I'm sitting under this 40-foot tall eucalyptus tree

that's 2.6 miles up the cold spring trail in Santa Barbara,

and I'm thinking, that tree would look really cool if it were covered in yarn.

(Laughter)

And so I went home and Googled this,

and it turns out it is a thing people do, it's called yarnbombing:

you wrap these public structures with yarn.

And, the second annual international yarn bombing day

was just 82 days away.

(Laughter)

So for the next 82 days, no matter where I was -

(Laughter)

if I was in a board meeting, on the trading floor,

in an airplane or in the hospital,

I was knitting.

One stitch at a time.

And 82 days later,

I had done my first ever yarnbomb.

(Applause)

And the response to it blew me away.

So I kept going ...

(Laughter)

with bigger, more ambitious projects

that required more engineering skills.

And in 2014, I set the goal to wrap six massive boulders

in Los Padres National Forest at the top of the mountains.

But if I was going to pull this off, I'd need help.

So at this point, I had a few thousand followers on social media

as "The Yarnbomber."

(Laughter)

And I started getting packages - lots of packages -

388 contributors from 36 countries in all 50 states.

In the end, I didn't wrap one massive boulder,

I wrapped 18.

(Applause)

So I kept going

with bigger, more ambitious projects

that would require me to work with new materials,

like fiberglass, and wood, and metals,

which culminates in a project that is currently at TMC, here in Tucson,

where I wrapped the Children's Hospital.

(Applause)

Along the way, I stopped knitting.

I never really liked it.

(Laughter)

But ...

I like crocheting.

(Laughter)

So, I started making these seven-inch granny squares -

because that's the standard granny square -

and I thought along the way: why am I stopping at seven inches?

I need big stuff.

So, I started making bigger granny squares.

So one day, I come home from a business trip,

and I've got this really large granny,

and I went to the website of Guinness.

I was curious what's the world's largest granny square.

And it turns out there's no category for it.

(Laughter)

So I applied,

and they rejected me.

So I appealed,

and they rejected me.

I appealed again, and they said fine,

if you make it ten meters by ten meters, we'll create a new category,

and you will be a Guinness world record holder.

So, for the next two years,

seven months, 17 days,

one stitch at a time,

I finally reached more than half a million stitches,

incorporated more than 30 miles of yarn,

and I am now the official Guinness world record holder

for the largest crocheted granny square.

(Applause) (Cheering)

Along the way, I've garnered an awful lot of attention for my escapades.

I've been featured in Newsweek magazine,

Eric news, which is kind of the Bible for artists.

But what I want you to realize when you hear these things:

I'm still that C- student.

I'm still that kid who can't settle down

or focus for more than five or ten minutes at a time.

And I remain a guy who possesses no special gift of talent or skill.

All I do is take really big, ambitious projects

that people seem to marvel at,

break them down to their simplest form

and then just make marginal improvements along the way

to improve my odds of achieving them.

And so the whole reason I'm giving this talk is

I'm hoping to inspire several of you

to pull some of those ambitious dreams that you have for yourself

off the bookshelf

and start pursuing them by making that marginal adjustment to your routine.

Thank you.

(Applause)