TED2009
Richard St. John: Success is a continuous journey
Richard St. John “成功是一条延续的旅程“
Filmed:
Readability: 3.1
4,347,745 views
Richard St. John 再次用他率直的口吻提醒我们：成功不是一条单行道，而是一条绵延的长路。以自己公司几年来的变迁作为范例，教我们珍贵的一课：当我们不再继续努力，我们就会失败。
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. Full bio
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 many people reach success and then fail?
0
0
5000
为什么有这么多人在成功以后失败？
00:23
One of the big reasons is, we think success is a one-way street.
1
5000
4000
最主要的原因之一是，我们把成功当作一条单行道
00:27
So we do everything that leads up to success,
2
9000
2000
我们尽其所能地达到成功
00:29
but then we get there. We figure we've made it,
3
11000
2000
当我们到达那一步以后，我们觉得我们已经做到了
00:31
we sit back in our comfort zone,
4
13000
2000
我们便闲散下来
00:33
and we actually stop doing everything that made us successful.
5
15000
3000
不再继续那些当初让我们成功的努力
00:36
And it doesn't take long to go downhill.
6
18000
2000
用不了太久，事情就开始走下坡
00:38
And I can tell you this happens,
7
20000
2000
我可以告诉你这是怎么回事
00:40
because it happened to me.
8
22000
3000
因为这是我的亲身体验。
00:43
Reaching success, I worked hard, I pushed myself.
9
25000
3000
为了成功，我努力工作，我鞭策自己
00:46
But then I stopped, because I figured, "Oh, you know, I made it.
10
28000
3000
但我停了下来，因为我想"我已经做到了
00:49
I can just sit back and relax."
11
31000
2000
现在我可以坐着休息了。"
00:51
Reaching success, I always tried to improve and do good work.
12
33000
4000
为了成功，我总是试着做到最好，超越自己
00:55
But then I stopped because I figured, "Hey, I'm good enough.
13
37000
3000
我不再这么做是因为我想，"我已经够好了，
00:58
I don't need to improve any more."
14
40000
2000
我不再需要改进了。"
01:00
Reaching success, I was pretty good at coming up with good ideas.
15
42000
4000
为了成功，我总是有很多好的创意。
01:04
Because I did all these simple things that led to ideas.
16
46000
3000
因为我做了这些让我达到成功的事。
01:07
But then I stopped, because I figured I was this hot-shot guy
17
49000
3000
但我停下来了。因为我想我是个大腕了
01:10
and I shouldn't have to work at ideas, they should just come like magic.
18
52000
3000
我不用再想这些点子。它们会自动出现的。
01:13
And the only thing that came was creative block.
19
55000
2000
但唯一出现的是灵感障碍
01:15
I couldn't come up with any ideas.
20
57000
3000
我没办法再想出任何点子。
01:18
Reaching success, I always focused on clients and projects,
21
60000
3000
为了成功，我用心地关注我的客户和计划
01:21
and ignored the money. Then all this money started pouring in.
22
63000
3000
而不是金钱。但一旦公司开始赚钱
01:24
And I got distracted by it.
23
66000
2000
我就开始分心了
01:26
And suddenly I was on the phone to my stockbroker and my real estate agent,
24
68000
3000
我发现自己总是在与股票经纪人、地产经纪人讲电话
01:29
when I should have been talking to my clients.
25
71000
3000
在我应该花时间关心客户的时候
01:32
And reaching success, I always did what I loved.
26
74000
3000
为了成功，我总是做我最喜欢的事
01:35
But then I got into stuff that I didn't love,
27
77000
2000
但不喜欢的事慢慢接踵而来
01:37
like management. I am the world's worst manager,
28
79000
3000
像管理 － 我是世界上最糟糕的管理者
01:40
but I figured I should be doing it, because I was, after all,
29
82000
2000
但当时我觉得这就是我该做的
01:42
the president of the company.
30
84000
2000
因为我毕竟是公司的老板
01:44
Well, soon a black cloud formed over my head
31
86000
3000
很快地，乌云罩顶
01:47
and here I was, outwardly very successful,
32
89000
2000
我外表看上去成功
01:49
but inwardly very depressed.
33
91000
2000
但内心非常消沉
01:51
But I'm a guy; I knew how to fix it.
34
93000
4000
但身为一个男人，我知道该怎么解决
01:55
I bought a fast car.
35
97000
2000
我买了台跑车
01:57
(Laughter)
36
99000
3000
（笑声）
02:00
It didn't help.
37
102000
2000
但那没有解决问题
02:02
I was faster but just as depressed.
38
104000
2000
我拥有了速度但仍然消沉
02:04
So I went to my doctor. I said, "Doc,
39
106000
3000
于是我去看医生，我说"医生，
02:07
I can buy anything I want. But I'm not happy. I'm depressed.
40
109000
4000
这世界上没有什么是我要而买不到的，但我很不快乐
02:11
It's true what they say, and I didn't believe it until it happened to me.
41
113000
3000
人们说的都是真的，我以前不相信，直到亲身经历
02:14
But money can't buy happiness."
42
116000
3000
金钱是买不到快乐的。"
02:17
He said, "No. But it can buy Prozac."
43
119000
3000
他回答。”但可以买到百忧解。“
02:20
And he put me on anti-depressants.
44
122000
2000
于是他让我吃抗忧郁药
02:22
And yeah, the black cloud faded a little bit, but so did all the work,
45
124000
4000
乌云似乎有点消散了，但工作也是
02:26
because I was just floating along. I couldn't care less if clients ever called.
46
128000
4000
因为我如坠云中，我根本不在乎客户有没有与我联系
02:30
(Laughter)
47
132000
3000
（笑声）
02:33
And clients didn't call.
48
135000
2000
事实上也没有。
02:35
(Laughter)
49
137000
1000
（笑声）
02:36
Because they could see I was no longer serving them,
50
138000
2000
因为他们知道我已经不再在乎他们
02:38
I was only serving myself.
51
140000
2000
我只在乎我自己。
02:40
So they took their money and their projects to others who would serve them better.
52
142000
3000
于是他们带着钱和计划到真正能服务他们的人那里去
02:43
Well, it didn't take long for business to drop like a rock.
53
145000
4000
很快的，我的事业如坠深渊
02:47
My partner and I, Thom, we had to let all our employees go.
54
149000
4000
我的合伙人和我只有让我们的员工走路
02:51
It was down to just the two of us, and we were about to go under.
55
153000
2000
只剩下我们两个，也差不多要完蛋了
02:53
And that was great.
56
155000
2000
但突然一切又好了
02:55
Because with no employees, there was nobody for me to manage.
57
157000
4000
因为没有员工，就不用管理
02:59
So I went back to doing the projects I loved.
58
161000
3000
我可以回去做我喜欢的计划
03:02
I had fun again, I worked harder and, to cut a long story short,
59
164000
4000
工作又开始有趣了，我也更努力工作。长话短说
03:06
did all the things that took me back up to success.
60
168000
3000
我又开始走回成功的道路
03:09
But it wasn't a quick trip.
61
171000
2000
但那不是条高速公路
03:11
It took seven years.
62
173000
2000
它总共花了我七年
03:13
But in the end, business grew bigger than ever.
63
175000
3000
但现在，我们的公司比之前更强大
03:16
And when I went back to following these eight principles,
64
178000
3000
我也继续履行我的八条原则
03:19
the black cloud over my head disappeared altogether.
65
181000
3000
在我头上的乌云消失了
03:22
And I woke up one day and I said,
66
184000
2000
某天早上我醒来，对自己说
03:24
"I don't need Prozac anymore."
67
186000
2000
”我不需要百忧解了。“
03:26
And I threw it away and haven't needed it since.
68
188000
2000
我把它扔了出去，再也没有碰过
03:28
I learned that success isn't a one-way street.
69
190000
3000
我学到成功不是一条单行道
03:31
It doesn't look like this; it really looks more like this.
70
193000
3000
它看起来不像这样，它看起来更像这样
03:34
It's a continuous journey.
71
196000
2000
是一条持续的长路
03:36
And if we want to avoid "success-to-failure-syndrome,"
72
198000
3000
如果我们不想染上”从成功到失败"症
03:39
we just keep following these eight principles,
73
201000
2000
只要持续地谨守这八条原则
03:41
because that is not only how we achieve success,
74
203000
3000
因为你要的不只是成功
03:44
it's how we sustain it.
75
206000
2000
更是保持成功。
03:46
So here is to your continued success.
76
208000
2000
愿我们都继续成功。
03:48
Thank you very much.
77
210000
2000
非常谢谢各位。
03:50
(Applause)
78
212000
2000
（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Richard St. John - Marketer, success analystA 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.
Richard St. John | Speaker | TED.com