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The Fleeting Euphoria of Success | Debbie Millman | TED - Video học tiếng Anh
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The Fleeting Euphoria of Success | Debbie Millman | TED
The Fleeting Euphoria of Success | Debbie Millman | TED
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0:03
For the last 20 years,
0:06
I've interviewed hundreds of people
0:08
about their motivation to create,
0:12
their ambition
0:13
and what it feels like to be whole and at home in the world
0:19
on my podcast, "Design Matters."
0:23
In one episode several years ago,
0:26
I interviewed a famous painter about a recent exhibition,
0:31
a show that had taken years to create.
0:35
Given the magnitude of the accomplishment,
0:38
I asked her how long the feeling of pride lasted
0:42
after opening night.
0:45
She looked at me,
0:46
she smiled sheepishly
0:48
and stated,
0:50
"About 11 minutes."
0:52
(Laughter)
0:54
I thought she was joking, but she wasn't.
0:57
Since that interview,
0:59
I've come to realize she's not the only one
1:02
whose achievements feel ephemeral and fleeting.
1:07
Not by a long shot.
1:09
Over the past four years, in addition to my interviews,
1:12
I've conducted my own version of a Proustian questionnaire
1:16
for PRINT magazine.
1:18
Hundreds of creative people have answered the same 10 questions
1:23
about their life and their work.
1:26
Given the response I had with the famous painter,
1:30
I included this question:
1:32
How long does the feeling of pride and joy
1:37
at accomplishing something last for you?
1:42
As I collected my responses to the questionnaire
1:46
and reviewed all of my transcripts of my interviews and conversations,
1:51
I saw how, up close, for so many people,
1:56
the pride and joy of accomplishment dissipates
2:01
almost as quickly as it manifests.
2:04
I heard it in the words of a poet
2:06
who shared that the high of publishing a book
2:09
lasted until she sent in her final manuscript.
2:13
I heard it in the voice of a designer
2:16
who admitted he felt restless the very night of an awards ceremony.
2:21
And I heard it in the plaintiff confession of a musician who told me,
2:28
"The only time I feel at peace is when I'm in the studio.
2:33
Not on stage, not after.
2:36
Only while I'm making."
2:40
Another confession.
2:43
I felt this way my whole life.
2:46
After publishing a book,
2:48
after mounting an exhibition,
2:50
after a TED Talk,
2:52
after what should feel like I've reached the pinnacle,
2:55
moments I've dreamed of for decades.
2:59
The joy evaporates within days,
3:03
sometimes hours,
3:05
and once, terrifyingly, within minutes.
3:09
And then for so many people, what happens next?
3:14
The quest to create,
3:17
to make something bigger, more ambitious
3:19
or more challenging begins again.
3:25
I found this all utterly confounding,
3:28
and I became consumed with the question of why?
3:32
Why does the feeling of creative achievement slip away
3:36
almost as soon as we grasp it?
3:38
Why are we in such a rush to want something more?
3:42
Is it ego, ambition,
3:46
addiction to attainment?
3:48
We're living in a culture now obsessed with achievement,
3:52
and we measure that success with metrics,
3:55
likes views followers, awards trophies sales
3:59
and we celebrate the hustle.
4:02
We glorify the grind,
4:04
and we equate visibility with value.
4:09
Now after 20 years of interviewing more than 1,000 people,
4:14
I've come to believe that something else is at play.
4:18
When I look at the creative people I admire most,
4:23
I see people answering a calling.
4:27
A calling that says create, shape, build, imagine, express.
4:32
Not necessarily to be seen,
4:35
but to be.
4:37
What if the actual reward is not accomplishment
4:42
but the act of creating?
4:44
Think about it.
4:46
The finished products
4:47
and trappings of creative accomplishment
4:50
are often seen as the goal.
4:52
And if we haven't yet reached mastery,
4:55
we're told we have to fake it until we make it.
4:59
Pretend.
5:01
But I don't think people should have to fake anything.
5:05
Instead, I'd rather make it until I make it.
5:10
You see, I believe that the act of making is like oxygen.
5:16
When the making stops, it becomes hard to breathe.
5:21
Now I admit I still struggle with this.
5:24
I crave recognition, I still measure myself by external markers of success,
5:30
and I'm still racing towards multiple finish lines.
5:35
But I'm learning, albeit slowly,
5:38
that these moments will never, ever be enough.
5:41
They can't be, because in the end,
5:44
they represent a certain scarcity,
5:47
while making is the actual abundance.
5:52
Several years ago, I interviewed David Lee Roth,
5:56
the swashbuckling former frontman of the rock group Van Halen.
6:01
I first became a fan of the band in the mid-1980s,
6:05
after the release of their five-time platinum album, "1984."
6:11
The record sold over 12 million copies, produced four singles,
6:16
peaked at number two on the Billboard charts,
6:18
and was only held back from the number one position
6:22
by Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
6:26
I interviewed David Lee in 2019
6:28
and asked him what it felt like
6:31
to reach the peak of the tallest mountain
6:36
in his storied career.
6:38
He paused and was reflective as he recalled the experience.
6:43
And what he said next really surprised me.
6:47
He told me you have to be really careful when you reach that peak,
6:53
as it's always cold,
6:56
you’re often alone,
6:57
and there's only one direction to go.
7:00
And it occurred to me right then and there
7:04
that I didn't want to peak until the day before I die.
7:07
(Laughter)
7:09
And I wanted to take my time, slowly, walking up that mountain,
7:15
making new things all along the way.
7:20
So the next time you finish anything,
7:23
a book, a poem, a song, a painting,
7:26
try not to despair.
7:28
That fleeting feeling of accomplishment isn't a flaw.
7:33
It's part of the creative condition.
7:35
Instead, heed the calling.
7:38
Continue to make things, and maybe, just maybe,
7:43
take your time becoming the creative being that you want to be.
7:49
Thank you.
7:50
(Applause)
