Speaker A
This is really a two-hour presentation I give to high school students, cut down to three minutes.
Richard St. John reveals 8 key factors to success based on 500 interviews with TED speakers, emphasizing passion, hard work, and serving others.
Key Takeaways
- Passion drives success and leads to financial rewards.
- Enjoying your work makes hard work sustainable and enjoyable.
- Support from others can motivate and push you forward.
- Success requires serving others with value, not self-centered goals.
- Following these eight principles can guide anyone toward success.
Summary
- The video condenses a two-hour talk into three minutes focused on success.
- Richard St. John was inspired by a high school student's question about success.
- He conducted 500 interviews over seven years with successful TED speakers.
- Passion is the first and most important factor for success.
- Enjoying your work (fun) is crucial; successful people are 'work-a-frolics' not workaholics.
- Support systems, like push from mothers, help individuals persevere.
- Serving others by providing value is essential, not just seeking wealth.
- The talk summarizes eight key traits or actions that lead to success.
- Success is accessible by following these principles without needing to pay for TED.
- The video encourages viewers to adopt these eight success habits.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
And it all started one day on a plane on my way to TED, seven years ago.
Speaker A
And in the seat next to me was a high school student, a teenager, and she came from a really poor family.
Speaker A
And she wanted to make something of her life, and she asked me a simple little question, she said, 'What leads to success?'
Speaker A
And I felt really badly because I couldn't give her a good answer.
Speaker A
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?'
Speaker A
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.
Speaker A
And the first thing is passion.
Speaker A
The interesting thing is if you do it for love, the money comes anyway.
Speaker A
Did he say fun, Rupert?
Speaker A
Yes.
Speaker A
TEDsters do have fun working and they work hard, I figured they're not workaholics, they're work-a-frolics.
Speaker A
Now, it's not always easy to push yourself, and that's why they invented mothers.
Speaker A
Frank Gehry said to me, 'My mother pushed me.'
Speaker A
Now a lot of kids tell me they want to be millionaires, and the first thing I say to them is, 'Okay, well you can't serve yourself, you got to serve others something of value.'
Speaker A
So the big, the answer to this question is simple: pay 4,000 bucks and come to TED.
Speaker A
Or failing that, do the eight things, and trust me, these are the big eight things that lead to success.
Speaker A
Thank you, TEDsters, for all your interviews.
Topics:successRichard St. JohnTEDpassionhard workmotivationinspirationself improvementvaluesuccess principles
