What leads to success?

--by Richard St. John

This is really ta two-hour presentation I give to high school students, cut down to three minutes.

And it all started one day on a plane, on my way to TED, seven years ago. And the seats next to me was a high school student, a teenager, and she came from a really poor family. And she wanted to make something of her life, and she ask me a simple little question. She said, "What leads to success?" And I feel really bad because I couldn't give her a good answer.

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 peaple! So why don't I ask them what helped them succeed, and pass it on to kids? So here, we are, seven years, 500 interviews later,  and I'm gonna tell you what really leads to success. and makes TED-sters tick. 

And the first thing is passion. Freeman Thomas says, "I'm driven by my passion." TED-sters do it for love, they don't do it for money. Carol Colletta says, "I would pay someone to do what I do." And the interesting thing is: if you do it for love, the money come from anyway!

Work! Rupert Murdoch said to me, "It's all hard work." Nothing comes easily. But I have lot of fun. Did he say fun? Rupert? Yes! TED-sters do have fun working. And they work hard. I figured, they're not work aholics. They're work afrolics. 

Good! Alex Garden says, "To be successful put your nose down in something and get damn good at it." there is no magic, it's practice, practice, practice.

And it's focus. Noman Jewison said to me, "I think it all has to do with focusing yourself on one thing." 

And push! David Gallo says, "Push yourself, Physically, mentally, you're gotta push, push, push." You gotta push through shyness and self-doubt. Goldie Hawn says, "I always had self-doubts. I wasn't good enough; I wasn't smart enough. I didn't think I'd make it." Now it's not always easy to push yourself, and that's why they invented mothers.(Laughter) Frank Gehry-- Frank Gehry said to me, "My mother pull to me!"

Serve! Sherwin Nuland says, "It was a privilege to sever as a doctor." Now a lot of kids tell me they want to be millionaires. And the first thing I say to them is: "Ok, you can serve for yourself, you gotta serve others something of value. Because that's the way people really get rich."

Ideas! TED-ster Bill Getes says, "I had an idea: founding the first micro-computer software company." I'd say it was a pretty good idea. And there's no magic to creativity in coming up with ideas -- it's just doing some very simple things. And I give lots of evidence. 

Persist! Joe Kraus say,"Persistence is the number one reason for our success." You gotta persist through failure. You gotta persist through crap! Which couse meaning: "Criticism, Rejection, Assholes and Pressure." So, the big -- the answer to this question is simple: Pay 4,000 bucks and come to TED. Or failling that, do the eight things -- and trust me, these are the big eight things that lead to success. 

Thank you TED-sters for your interviews!