TED2009
Richard St. John: Success is a continuous journey
Richard St. John：「成功是無盡的旅程」
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Richard St. John 用他代表性的簡潔風格，再一次提醒我們：成功不是一條單行道，而是一個持續的過程。他用他個人事業的起落來說明這個寶貴的課題 — 一旦我們停止努力，我們就會失敗。
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?
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為什麼這麼多的人成功之後又邁向了失敗？
00:23
One of the big reasons is, we think success is a one-way street.
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就主要的原因是，我們以為成功是一條單行道上的終點。
00:27
So we do everything that leads up to success,
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因此我們竭盡全力邁向成功。
00:29
but then we get there. We figure we've made it,
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但是一但我們成功了。我們認為我們已經做到了，
00:31
we sit back in our comfort zone,
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我們又會退回到我們的舒適區中，
00:33
and we actually stop doing everything that made us successful.
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更糟糕的是我們沒有持續去做那些曾經讓我們成功的事情。
00:36
And it doesn't take long to go downhill.
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所以要不了多久，就開始走下坡了。
00:38
And I can tell you this happens,
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我可以告訴你這真的會發生。
00:40
because it happened to me.
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因為同樣情形曾經發生在我身上。
00:43
Reaching success, I worked hard, I pushed myself.
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為了成功，我努力工作，突破自我。
00:46
But then I stopped, because I figured, "Oh, you know, I made it.
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但是後來我停了下來，因為我以為：「喔，你知道，我做到了。
00:49
I can just sit back and relax."
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接下來我只需要翹著二郎腿放輕鬆就行了。」
00:51
Reaching success, I always tried to improve and do good work.
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為了成功，我總是嘗試改進並將工作做到最好。
00:55
But then I stopped because I figured, "Hey, I'm good enough.
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但是後來我停了下來，因為我以為：「嘿，我已經夠好了。
00:58
I don't need to improve any more."
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我不需要再進步了。」
01:00
Reaching success, I was pretty good at coming up with good ideas.
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為了成功﹐我擅於創新﹐而且不斷地有好點子
01:04
Because I did all these simple things that led to ideas.
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因為我做了這些能夠產生靈感的小事情。
01:07
But then I stopped, because I figured I was this hot-shot guy
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但是後來我停了下來，因為我以為我是一個創意金童，
01:10
and I shouldn't have to work at ideas, they should just come like magic.
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我不必辛苦的去找尋靈感。它們應該會像魔法一般的自動顯現。
01:13
And the only thing that came was creative block.
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然而唯一出現的是創意瓶頸。
01:15
I couldn't come up with any ideas.
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我什麼點子都想不出來了。
01:18
Reaching success, I always focused on clients and projects,
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為了成功，我總是專注在客戶及專案本身，
01:21
and ignored the money. Then all this money started pouring in.
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不去考慮錢的問題。然後錢財自然地湧進。
01:24
And I got distracted by it.
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於是我分心了。
01:26
And suddenly I was on the phone to my stockbroker and my real estate agent,
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突然之間，我總是在電話上跟我的股票與地產專員說話，
01:29
when I should have been talking to my clients.
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但是我本來應該是與我的客戶在談話的。
01:32
And reaching success, I always did what I loved.
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為了成功，我總是從事我所鍾愛的事業。
01:35
But then I got into stuff that I didn't love,
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但是後來，我介入了我不喜歡的事物中，
01:37
like management. I am the world's worst manager,
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例如管理。我是全世界最糟糕的管理者。
01:40
but I figured I should be doing it, because I was, after all,
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但是我認為我應該從事這個職位，畢竟因為我是
01:42
the president of the company.
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這間公司的總裁。
01:44
Well, soon a black cloud formed over my head
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然而，很快的，我總是烏雲罩頂，
01:47
and here I was, outwardly very successful,
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我外表看似非常成功，
01:49
but inwardly very depressed.
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內在卻非常沮喪。
01:51
But I'm a guy; I knew how to fix it.
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但是我是個男人，我知道如何彌補它。
01:55
I bought a fast car.
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我買了一台跑車。
01:57
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
02:00
It didn't help.
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這沒用。
02:02
I was faster but just as depressed.
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我是變快了，但還是一樣沮喪。
02:04
So I went to my doctor. I said, "Doc,
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因此我去看了醫生。我說：「醫師呀，
02:07
I can buy anything I want. But I'm not happy. I'm depressed.
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我能買到任何我要的東西。但是我不快樂。我很沮喪。
02:11
It's true what they say, and I didn't believe it until it happened to me.
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他們說的是真的，直到這在我身上發生後，我才相信。
02:14
But money can't buy happiness."
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但是錢真的不能夠買到快樂。」
02:17
He said, "No. But it can buy Prozac."
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他說：「不。但是它能買百憂解。」
02:20
And he put me on anti-depressants.
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然後他開給我抗憂鬱藥物。
02:22
And yeah, the black cloud faded a little bit, but so did all the work,
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烏雲消去了一點點。但是我的所有事業也是。
02:26
because I was just floating along. I couldn't care less if clients ever called.
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因為我總是蠻不在乎。如果客戶不打電話給我，我完全不會在意工作的進度。
02:30
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
02:33
And clients didn't call.
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所以客戶不跟我來往了。
02:35
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
02:36
Because they could see I was no longer serving them,
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因為他們可以看得出來，我不再為他們服務了，
02:38
I was only serving myself.
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我只為我自己服務。
02:40
So they took their money and their projects to others who would serve them better.
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所以他們將他們的錢和專案計畫給了那些能夠提供他們更好服務的人。
02:43
Well, it didn't take long for business to drop like a rock.
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我的事業沒過多久就像顆石頭般墜落。
02:47
My partner and I, Thom, we had to let all our employees go.
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我的事業夥伴，湯姆和我不得不解散所有員工。
02:51
It was down to just the two of us, and we were about to go under.
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公司縮減至只剩我們兩個人，而且即將倒閉。
02:53
And that was great.
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但是這樣很好。
02:55
Because with no employees, there was nobody for me to manage.
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因為沒有員工，表示我不需要管理任何人。
02:59
So I went back to doing the projects I loved.
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因此我回去從事我所喜歡的工作。
03:02
I had fun again, I worked harder and, to cut a long story short,
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我又獲得了樂趣。我更努力工作。長話短說：
03:06
did all the things that took me back up to success.
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我做了所有能夠讓我從回成功所需的事情。
03:09
But it wasn't a quick trip.
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但是這個過程必須花上一段時間。
03:11
It took seven years.
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它花了我七年。
03:13
But in the end, business grew bigger than ever.
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但是最後，我的事業獲得了空前的成長。
03:16
And when I went back to following these eight principles,
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而且當我回去遵行這八大原則時，
03:19
the black cloud over my head disappeared altogether.
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原本在我頭頂的烏雲也隨之散去。
03:22
And I woke up one day and I said,
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因此我有一天醒來，然後說：
03:24
"I don't need Prozac anymore."
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「我不再需要百憂解了。」
03:26
And I threw it away and haven't needed it since.
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因此我把它丟了，從此不再需要它。
03:28
I learned that success isn't a one-way street.
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我學到了成功不是一條單行道上的終點。
03:31
It doesn't look like this; it really looks more like this.
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它並不是像這樣的。它看起來比較像是這樣。
03:34
It's a continuous journey.
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它是一個持續的旅程。
03:36
And if we want to avoid "success-to-failure-syndrome,"
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如果我們希望避免「成功導致失敗症候群」。
03:39
we just keep following these eight principles,
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我們需要持續遵守這八大原則。
03:41
because that is not only how we achieve success,
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因為這不只是我們邁向成功的方法，
03:44
it's how we sustain it.
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也是我們維持成功的方法。
03:46
So here is to your continued success.
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這就是通往你永續成功的道路。
03:48
Thank you very much.
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非常謝謝你們。
03:50
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
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