ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Richard St. John - Marketer, success analyst
A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success -- and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes and one successful book.

Why you should listen

Richard St. John was on his way to the TED conference when a girl on the plane asked him, "What really leads to success?" Even though he had achieved some success, he couldn't explain how he did it. So he spent the next ten years researching success and asking over 500 extraordinarily successful people in many fields what helped them succeed. After analyzing, sorting, and correlating millions of words of research, and building one of the most organized databases on the subject of success, he discovered "The 8 Traits Successful People Have in Common" and wrote the bestseller 8 To Be Great.

In his books and talks,he shares a wealth of wisdom from the world's most successful people -- knowledge that can help others succeed in their own way, whether it's escaping poverty, building a business, raising a family, or changing the world.

More profile about the speaker
Richard St. John | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Richard St. John: Success is a continuous journey

Richard St. John: "Sukses is ’n voortdurende reis"

Filmed:
4,347,745 views

In sy kenmerkend opregte styl, herinner Richard St. John ons dat sukses nie ’n eenrigtingstraat is nie, maar ’n voortdurende reis. Hy gebruik die storie van sy besigheid se opkoms en bykanse ondergang om ’n waardevolle les toe te lig -- wanneer ons ophou probeer, misluk ons.
- Marketer, success analyst
A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success -- and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes and one successful book. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:18
Why do so manybaie people reachbereik successsukses and then failmisluk?
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Hoekom bereik so baie mense sukses en dan misluk hulle?
00:23
One of the biggroot reasonsredes is, we think successsukses is a one-wayeenrigting streetstraat.
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Een van die groot redes is, ons dink sukses is ’n eenrigtingstraat.
00:27
So we do everything that leadsleidrade up to successsukses,
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So ons doen alles wat lei tot sukses,
00:29
but then we get there. We figurefiguur we'veons het madegemaak it,
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maar dan kom ons daar uit. Ons dink ons het dit gemaak,
00:31
we sitsit back in our comforttroos zonesone,
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ons sit terug in ons gemaksone,
00:33
and we actuallyeintlik stop doing everything that madegemaak us successfulsuksesvol.
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en eintlik hou ons op om alles wat ons suksesvol gemaak het te doen.
00:36
And it doesn't take long to go downhillafdraande.
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En dit vat nie lank om afdraand te gaan nie.
00:38
And I can tell you this happensgebeur,
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En ek kan julle sê dat dit gebeur,
00:40
because it happenedgebeur to me.
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want dit het met my gebeur.
00:43
ReachingBereik successsukses, I workedgewerk hardhard, I pushedgestoot myselfmyself.
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Ek het hard gewerk om sukses te bereik, myself gedruk.
00:46
But then I stoppedgestop, because I figureduitgepluis, "Oh, you know, I madegemaak it.
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Maar toe stop ek, want ek't gedink: "Julle weet mos, ek't dit gemaak.
00:49
I can just sitsit back and relaxontspan."
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Ek kan net terug sit en ontspan."
00:51
ReachingBereik successsukses, I always triedprobeer to improveverbeter and do good work.
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Ek het altyd probeer verbeter en om goeie werk te doen om sukses te bereik.
00:55
But then I stoppedgestop because I figureduitgepluis, "Hey, I'm good enoughgenoeg.
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Maar toe stop ek, want ek't gedink: "Hey, ek's goed genoeg.
00:58
I don't need to improveverbeter any more."
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Ek hoef nie meer te verbeter nie."
01:00
ReachingBereik successsukses, I was prettymooi good at comingkom up with good ideasidees.
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Ek kon met goeie idees voorendag kom om sukses te bereik.
01:04
Because I did all these simpleeenvoudige things that led to ideasidees.
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Want ek't allerhande eenvoudige dinge wat gelei het tot idees gedoen.
01:07
But then I stoppedgestop, because I figureduitgepluis I was this hot-shotwarm-skoot guy
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Maar toe stop ek, want ek't gedink ek was hierdie grootmeneer
01:10
and I shouldn'tmoenie have to work at ideasidees, they should just come like magictowerkuns.
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en ek hoef nie aan idees te werk nie, hulle moet net vanself kom.
01:13
And the only thing that camekom was creativekreatiewe blockblok.
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En die enigste ding wat gekom het, was kreatiewe blok.
01:15
I couldn'tkon nie come up with any ideasidees.
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Ek kon nie met enige idees opkom nie.
01:18
ReachingBereik successsukses, I always focusedgefokus on clientskliënte and projectsprojekte,
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Ek het altyd op kliënte en projekte gefokus om sukses te bereik
01:21
and ignoredgeïgnoreer the moneygeld. Then all this moneygeld startedbegin pouringgietende in.
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en die geld geïgnoreer. Toe het al hierdie geld begin invloei.
01:24
And I got distractedafgelei by it.
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En dit het my aandag afgelei.
01:26
And suddenlyskielik I was on the phonefoon to my stockbrokerstockbroker and my realwerklike estateboedel agentagent,
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En skielik was ek met my makelaar en my eiendomsagent op die foon,
01:29
when I should have been talkingpraat to my clientskliënte.
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terwyl ek eintlik met my kliënte moes praat.
01:32
And reachingbereik successsukses, I always did what I lovedlief.
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Ek altyd gedoen waarvoor ek lief was om sukses te bereik.
01:35
But then I got into stuffdinge that I didn't love,
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Maar toe kry ek myself in dinge waarvan ek nie hou nie,
01:37
like managementbestuur. I am the world'swêreld se worstergste managerbestuurder,
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soos bestuur. Ek is die wêreld se swakste bestuurder,
01:40
but I figureduitgepluis I should be doing it, because I was, after all,
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maar ek't gedink dis my werk, want ek was tog
01:42
the presidentpresident of the companymaatskappy.
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die president van die maatskappy.
01:44
Well, soonbinnekort a blackswart cloudwolk formedgevorm over my headkop
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Wel, ’n swart wolk het gou om my kop gevorm
01:47
and here I was, outwardlyoënskynlik very successfulsuksesvol,
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en hier was ek, uiterlik baie suksesvol,
01:49
but inwardlyinwardly very depresseddepressief.
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maar innerlik baie depressief.
01:51
But I'm a guy; I knewgeweet how to fixlos it.
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Maar ek's ’n man; ek kon die saak beredder.
01:55
I boughtgekoop a fastvinnig carvoertuig.
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Ek't ’n vinnige kar gekoop.
01:57
(LaughterLag)
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(Gelag)
02:00
It didn't help.
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Dit het nie gehelp nie.
02:02
I was fastervinniger but just as depresseddepressief.
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Ek was vinniger, maar net so depressief.
02:04
So I wenthet to my doctordokter. I said, "DocDok,
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Toe gaan ek dokter toe. Ek sê: "Dokter,
02:07
I can buykoop anything I want. But I'm not happygelukkig. I'm depresseddepressief.
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ek kan als koop wat ek wil hê. Maar ek's nie gelukkig nie. Ek's depressief.
02:11
It's truewaar what they say, and I didn't believe it untiltotdat it happenedgebeur to me.
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Dis waar wat hul sê, en ek't dit nie geglo tot dit met my gebeur het nie.
02:14
But moneygeld can't buykoop happinessgeluk."
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Maar geld kan nie geluk koop nie."
02:17
He said, "No. But it can buykoop ProzacProzac."
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Hy sê toe: "Nee. Maar dit kan Prozac koop."
02:20
And he put me on anti-depressantsanti-depressante.
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En hy sit my op antidepressante.
02:22
And yeah, the blackswart cloudwolk fadedverwelk a little bitbit, but so did all the work,
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En ja, die swart wolk het ’n bietjie gelig, maar so ook al die werk,
02:26
because I was just floatingdrywende alongsaam. I couldn'tkon nie caresorg lessminder if clientskliënte ever calledgenoem.
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want ek het net saam gedryf. Ek kon nie minder omgee of kliënte ooit bel nie.
02:30
(LaughterLag)
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(Gelag)
02:33
And clientskliënte didn't call.
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En kliënte het nie gebel nie.
02:35
(LaughterLag)
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(Gelag)
02:36
Because they could see I was no longermeer servingdien them,
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Want hulle kon sien dat ek hulle nie meer dien nie,
02:38
I was only servingdien myselfmyself.
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ek het net myself gedien.
02:40
So they tookgeneem theirhulle moneygeld and theirhulle projectsprojekte to othersander who would servedien them better.
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Toe vat hulle hul geld en projekte na ander mense toe, wat hulle beter kon dien.
02:43
Well, it didn't take long for businessbesigheid to dropdrop like a rockrots.
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Wel, dit het nie lank gevat vir besigheid om soos ’n rots te val nie.
02:47
My partnervennoot and I, ThomThom, we had to let all our employeeswerknemers go.
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Ek en my vennoot, Thom, moes al ons werknemers laat gaan.
02:51
It was down to just the two of us, and we were about to go underonder.
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Dit was net ons twee, op die punt om onder te gaan.
02:53
And that was great.
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En dit was puik.
02:55
Because with no employeeswerknemers, there was nobodyniemand for me to managebestuur.
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Want met geen werknemers, was daar niemand vir my om te bestuur nie.
02:59
So I wenthet back to doing the projectsprojekte I lovedlief.
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Toe keer ek terug na projekte waarvoor ek lief was.
03:02
I had funpret again, I workedgewerk harderharder and, to cutsny a long storystorie shortkort,
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Ek het weer pret gehad, harder gewerk en, om ’n lang storie kort te maak,
03:06
did all the things that tookgeneem me back up to successsukses.
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al die dinge wat my teruggeneem het na sukses gedoen.
03:09
But it wasn'twas nie a quickvinnige triptrip.
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Maar dit was nie ’n pretstappie nie.
03:11
It tookgeneem sevensewe yearsjaar.
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Dit het sewe jare gevat.
03:13
But in the endeinde, businessbesigheid grewgegroei biggergroter than ever.
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Maar uiteindelik het besigheid groter as ooit gegroei.
03:16
And when I wenthet back to followingvolgende these eightagt principlesbeginsels,
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En toe ek weer hierdie agt beginsels gevolg het,
03:19
the blackswart cloudwolk over my headkop disappearedverdwyn altogetheraltesaam.
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het die swart wolk oor my kop heeltemal verdwyn.
03:22
And I wokewakker up one day and I said,
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Toe word ek eendag wakker en sê:
03:24
"I don't need ProzacProzac anymoremeer."
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"Ek het nie meer Prozac nodig nie."
03:26
And I threwgooi it away and haven'thet nie needednodig it sinceaangesien.
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En ek het dit weggegooi en nooit weer nodig gehad nie.
03:28
I learnedgeleer that successsukses isn't a one-wayeenrigting streetstraat.
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Ek het geleer dat sukses nie ’n eenrigtingstraat is nie.
03:31
It doesn't look like this; it really lookslyk more like this.
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Dit lyk nie só nie; dit lyk eintlik meer só.
03:34
It's a continuousdeurlopende journeyreis.
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Dit is ’n voortdurende reis.
03:36
And if we want to avoidverhoed "success-to-failure-syndromesukses-te-mislukking-sindroom,"
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En as ons "sukses-na-mislukkingsindroom" wil vermy,
03:39
we just keep followingvolgende these eightagt principlesbeginsels,
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hou ons net aan om hierdie agt beginsels te volg,
03:41
because that is not only how we achievebereik successsukses,
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want dis nie net hoe ons sukses bereik nie,
03:44
it's how we sustainin stand te hou it.
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dis hoe ons dit volhou.
03:46
So here is to your continuedvoortgegaan successsukses.
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So op julle voortdurende sukses.
03:48
Thank you very much.
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Baie dankie.
03:50
(ApplauseApplous)
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(Applous)
Translated by Yi-Ting Wen 溫怡婷
Reviewed by Ingrid Lezar

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Richard St. John - Marketer, success analyst
A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success -- and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes and one successful book.

Why you should listen

Richard St. John was on his way to the TED conference when a girl on the plane asked him, "What really leads to success?" Even though he had achieved some success, he couldn't explain how he did it. So he spent the next ten years researching success and asking over 500 extraordinarily successful people in many fields what helped them succeed. After analyzing, sorting, and correlating millions of words of research, and building one of the most organized databases on the subject of success, he discovered "The 8 Traits Successful People Have in Common" and wrote the bestseller 8 To Be Great.

In his books and talks,he shares a wealth of wisdom from the world's most successful people -- knowledge that can help others succeed in their own way, whether it's escaping poverty, building a business, raising a family, or changing the world.

More profile about the speaker
Richard St. John | Speaker | TED.com