8 secrets of success
– Richard St. John

From TED.com

Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success.

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 discoveredThe 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.

What others say

“It’s so great. It’s such a boost of confidence. This book really gives you a lot of self-esteem about who you are, and that you really can be somebody.” — Thomas Fischer, Habitat for Humanity

Now watch his video :

TITLE: Richard St. John: 8 secrets of success
TED2005 · 3:30 minutes · Filmed Feb 2005 

See more at  TED.com