Hoekom bereik so baie mense sukses en dan misluk hulle? Een van die groot redes is, ons dink sukses is ’n eenrigtingstraat. So ons doen alles wat lei tot sukses, maar dan kom ons daar uit, ons dink ons't dit gemaak, sit terug in ons gemaksone, en ons hou op om alles wat ons suksesvol gemaak het, te doen. En dit vat nie lank om afdraand te gaan nie. En ek kan julle sê dat dit gebeur, want dit het met my gebeur.
Why do so many people reach success and then fail? One of the big reasons is, we think success is a one-way street. So we do everything that leads up to success, but then we get there. We figure we've made it, we sit back in our comfort zone, and we actually stop doing everything that made us successful. And it doesn't take long to go downhill. And I can tell you this happens, because it happened to me.
Ek't hard gewerk om sukses te bereik, myself gedruk. Maar toe stop ek, want ek't gedink: "Julle weet mos, ek't dit gemaak. Ek kan net terug sit en ontspan."
Reaching success, I worked hard, I pushed myself. But then I stopped, because I figured, "Oh, you know, I made it. I can just sit back and relax."
Ek't altyd probeer verbeter en om goeie werk te doen om sukses te bereik. Maar toe stop ek, want ek't gedink: "Hey, ek's goed genoeg. Ek hoef nie meer te verbeter nie."
Reaching success, I always tried to improve and do good work. But then I stopped because I figured, "Hey, I'm good enough. I don't need to improve any more."
Op pad na sukses het ek met goeie idees voorendag gekom, want ek't allerhande eenvoudige dinge wat gelei het tot idees gedoen. Maar toe stop ek; ek't gedink ek's ’n grootmeneer en ek hoef nie aan idees te werk nie, hulle moet net vanself kom. En al wat gekom het, was kreatiewe blok. Ek kon nie met enige idees opkom nie.
Reaching success, I was pretty good at coming up with good ideas. Because I did all these simple things that led to ideas. But then I stopped, because I figured I was this hot-shot guy and I shouldn't have to work at ideas, they should just come like magic. And the only thing that came was creative block. I couldn't come up with any ideas.
Ek't altyd op kliënte en projekte gefokus om sukses te bereik en die geld geïgnoreer. Toe het al hierdie geld begin invloei. En dit het my aandag afgelei. En skielik was ek met my makelaar en my eiendomsagent op die foon, terwyl ek eintlik met my kliënte moes praat.
Reaching success, I always focused on clients and projects, and ignored the money. Then all this money started pouring in. And I got distracted by it. And suddenly I was on the phone to my stockbroker and my real estate agent, when I should have been talking to my clients. And reaching success, I always did what I loved.
Op pad na sukses, het ek altyd gedoen waarvoor ek lief was. Maar toe begin ek met dinge waarvan ek nie hou nie, soos bestuur. Ek's die wêreld se swakste bestuurder, maar ek't gedink dis my werk, want ek was tog die president van die maatskappy.
But then I got into stuff that I didn't love, like management. I am the world's worst manager, but I figured I should be doing it, because I was, after all, the president of the company. Well, soon a black cloud formed over my head
Wel, ’n swart wolk het gou om my kop gevorm, en hier was ek, uiterlik baie suksesvol, maar innerlik baie depressief. Maar ek's ’n man; ek kon die saak beredder. Ek't ’n vinnige kar gekoop. (Gelag) Dit het nie gehelp nie. Ek was vinniger, maar net so depressief.
and here I was, outwardly very successful, but inwardly very depressed. But I'm a guy; I knew how to fix it. I bought a fast car. (Laughter) It didn't help. I was faster but just as depressed.
Toe gaan ek dokter toe. Ek sê: "Dok, ek kan als koop wat ek wil hê, maar ek's nie gelukkig nie. Ek's depressief. Dis waar wat hulle sê, ek't dit nie geglo tot dit met my gebeur nie, maar geld kan nie geluk koop nie." Hy sê toe: "Nee. Maar dit kan Prozac koop." En hy sit my op antidepressante. Die swart wolk lig toe bietjie, maar so ook al die werk, want ek't net aangedobber. Ek kon nie minder omgee of kliënte ooit bel nie. (Gelag)
So I went to my doctor. I said, "Doc, I can buy anything I want. But I'm not happy. I'm depressed. It's true what they say, and I didn't believe it until it happened to me. But money can't buy happiness." He said, "No. But it can buy Prozac." And he put me on anti-depressants. And yeah, the black cloud faded a little bit, but so did all the work, because I was just floating along. I couldn't care less if clients ever called. (Laughter)
En kliënte het nie gebel nie. (Gelag) Hulle kon sien dat ek hulle nie dien nie; ek't net myself gedien. Toe vat hulle hul geld en projekte na ander mense toe, wat hulle beter kon dien.
And clients didn't call. (Laughter) Because they could see I was no longer serving them, I was only serving myself. So they took their money and their projects to others who would serve them better. Well, it didn't take long for business to drop like a rock.
Wel, dit het nie lank gevat vir besigheid om soos ’n rots te val nie. Ek en my vennoot, Thom, moes al ons werknemers laat gaan. Dit was net ons twee, op die punt om onder te gaan. En dit was puik. Want met geen werknemers, was daar niemand vir my om te bestuur nie.
My partner and I, Thom, we had to let all our employees go. It was down to just the two of us, and we were about to go under. And that was great. Because with no employees, there was nobody for me to manage. So I went back to doing the projects I loved.
Toe keer ek terug na projekte waarvoor ek lief was. Ek't weer pret gehad, harder gewerk en, om ’n lang storie kort te maak, al die dinge wat my teruggeneem het na sukses, gedoen. Maar dit was nie ’n pretstappie nie. Dit het sewe jaar gevat.
I had fun again, I worked harder and, to cut a long story short, did all the things that took me back up to success. But it wasn't a quick trip. It took seven years. But in the end, business grew bigger than ever.
Maar uiteindelik het besigheid groter as ooit gegroei. En toe ek weer hierdie agt beginsels gevolg het, het die swart wolk oor my kop heeltemal verdwyn. Toe word ek eendag wakker en sê: "Ek't nie meer Prozac nodig nie." Ek't dit weggegooi en nooit weer nodig gehad nie.
And when I went back to following these eight principles, the black cloud over my head disappeared altogether. And I woke up one day and I said, "I don't need Prozac anymore." And I threw it away and haven't needed it since. I learned that success isn't a one-way street.
Ek't geleer dat sukses nie ’n eenrigtingstraat is nie. Dit lyk nie só nie; dit lyk só. Dis ’n voortdurende reis. En as ons "sukses-na-mislukkingsindroom" wil vermy, hou ons net aan om hierdie agt beginsels te volg, want dis nie net hoe ons sukses bereik nie, dis hoe ons dit volhou. So op julle voortdurende sukses. Baie dankie. (Applous)
It doesn't look like this; it really looks more like this. It's a continuous journey. And if we want to avoid "success-to-failure-syndrome," we just keep following these eight principles, because that is not only how we achieve success, it's how we sustain it. So here is to your continued success. Thank you very much. (Applause)