Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great career

Translator: Thu-Huong Ha Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: David J. Kreps Finnemann Reviewer: Niels Justus

Jeg vil gerne, denne eftermiddag, diskutere med jer,

I want to discuss with you this afternoon

why you're going to fail to have a great career.

hvorfor I ikke kommer til at have en god karriere. (Latter)

(Laughter)

I'm an economist.

Jeg er økonom. Jeg klarer mig skuffende.

I do dismal.

End of the day, it's ready for dismal remarks.

Ved dagens slutning, er det tid til sørgerlige kommentarer.

I only want to talk to those of you who want a great career.

Jeg vil kun tale til de af jer, der ønsker en fantastisk karriere.

I know some of you have already decided you want a good career.

Jeg ved, at nogle af jer allerede har besluttet jer for,

at I vil have en god karriere.

You're going to fail, too.

I kommer, også, til at fejle -- (Latter) --

(Laughter)

Because -- goodness, you're all cheery about failing.

fordi -- du milde himmel, hvor er I muntre over at fejle. (Latter)

(Laughter)

I er sikkert en canadiske (Latter)

Canadian group, undoubtedly.

(Laughter)

Those trying to have good careers are going to fail,

De af jer, som prøver på at få gode karrierer, vil fejle,

because, really, good jobs are now disappearing.

fordi gode jobs forsvinder faktisk nu.

There are great jobs and great careers,

Der er fantastiske jobs og fantastiske karrierer,

and then there are the high-workload,

og så er der stor arbejdsbyrde, høj stress,

high-stress, bloodsucking, soul-destroying kinds of jobs,

blodsugende, sjæle-smadrende jobs,

and practically nothing in-between.

og stort intet mellem de to.

So people looking for good jobs are going to fail.

Så de mennesker, der leder efter gode jobs vil fejle.

I want to talk about those looking for great jobs, great careers,

Jeg vil tale om dem, der leder efter fantastiske jobs,

fantastiske karrierer, og hvorfor I vil fejle.

and why you're going to fail.

First reason is that no matter how many times people tell you,

Den første grund er, at uanset hvor mange gange mennesker fortæller én,

"If you want a great career, you have to pursue your passion,

"Hvis du vil have en fantastisk karriere, så skal du følge din passion,

you have to pursue your dreams, you have to pursue

du skal følge dine drømme

the greatest fascination in your life,"

du skal følge den største fascination i dit liv,"

you hear it again and again, and then you decide not to do it.

Man hører det igen og igen og man beslutter sig for

ikke at gøre det. Ligemeget, hvor mange gange man

It doesn't matter how many times you download

downloader Steven J.'s Stanford årsafslutnings tale,

Steven J.'s Stanford commencement address,

you still look at it and decide not to do it.

man glor stadig på det, og beslutter sig for ikke at gøre det.

I'm not quite sure why you decide not to do it.

Jeg er ikke helt sikker på hvorfor I beslutter jer for ikke at gøre det.

You're too lazy to do it. It's too hard.

I er for dovne til at gøre det. Det er for svært.

You're afraid if you look for your passion and don't find it,

Man er bange for at lede efter ens passion og ikke finde den,

you'll feel like you're an idiot, so then you make excuses

Man vil føle sig som en idiot, så man finder på undskyldninger

about why you're not going to look for your passion.

om hvorfor, man ikke vil lede efter ens passion.

They are excuses, ladies and gentlemen.

Og de er undskyldninger, mine damer og herrer.

Vi går gennem en hel lang liste, ens kreativitet,

We're going to go through a whole long list --

your creativity in thinking of excuses not to do what you really need to do

og tænker på undskyldninger for ikke at gøre det man virkelig

skal gøre, hvis man vil have en fantastisk karriere.

if you want to have a great career.

So, for example, one of your great excuses is:

Så, for eksempel, en af ens største undskyldninger er,

(Sigh)

"Jamen, fantastiske karrierer er i virkeligheden, for de fleste,

"Well, great careers are really and truly, for most people,

just a matter of luck.

kun et spørgsmål om held, så jeg venter.

So I'm going to stand around, I'm going to try to be lucky,

Jeg vil prøve på at være heldig, og hvis jeg er heldig,

and if I'm lucky, I'll have a great career.

vil jeg få en fantastisk karriere. Hvis ikke, vil jeg få en god karriere."

If not, I'll have a good career."

But a good career is an impossibility, so that's not going to work.

Men en god karriere er en umulighed, så det vil ikke fungere.

Then, your other excuse is,

Så, ens anden undskyldning er, "Ja, der er specielle mennesker,

"Yes, there are special people who pursue their passions,

der følger deres passion, men de er genier.

but they are geniuses.

They are Steven J.

De er Steven J. Jeg er ikke et geni.

I'm not a genius.

When I was five, I thought I was a genius,

Da jeg var fem, mente jeg at jeg var et geni,

but my professors have beaten that idea out of my head long since."

men mine professorer har banket den ide

ud af mit hoved for længe siden." (Latter) Mm?

(Laughter)

"And now I know I am completely competent."

"Og nu ved jeg, at jeg er fuldstændig kompetent."

Now, you see, if this was 1950,

Men, ser I, at hvis dette var 1950,

being completely competent --

ville det at være fuldstændig kompetent,

that would have given you a great career.

have givet en en fantastisk karreire.

But guess what?

Men gæt engang? Nu har vi næsten 2012, og at sige:

This is almost 2012, and saying to the world,

"Jeg er total, fuldstændig kompetent,"

"I am totally, completely competent,"

is damning yourself with the faintest of praise.

er at fordømme sig selv med den vageste ros.

Og så, selvfølgelig, en anden undskyldning:

And then, of course, another excuse:

"Well, I would do this, I would do this, but, but --

"Jamen, jeg ville gøre dette, jeg ville gøre dette, men, men,

well, after all, I'm not weird.

jamen, jeg er, trods alt, ikke mærkelig.

Everybody knows that people who pursue their passions

Alle ved, at mennesker der følger deres passion

are somewhat obsessive.

er noget neurotiske. En smule mærkelige? Mm? Mm? Okay?

A little strange.

Hmm? Hmm? Okay?

You know, a fine line between madness and genius.

I ved, en fin linje mellem galskab og geni.

"I'm not weird. I've read Steven J.'s biography.

Jeg er ikke mærkelig. Jeg har læst Steven J.'s biografi.

Oh my goodness -- I'm not that person. I am nice.

Du milde himmel. Jeg er ikke den person. Jeg er flink.

I am normal.

Jeg er normal. Jeg er en flink, normal person,

I'm a nice, normal person, and nice, normal people --

og flinke, normale mennesker

har ikke passion.

don't have passion."

(Laughter)

"Ah, but I still want a great career.

Ah. Men jeg vil stadigvæk have en fantastisk karriere.

I'm not prepared to pursue my passion,

Jeg er ikke klar til at følge min passion, så jeg ved

so I know what I'm going to do,

hvad jeg vil gøre, fordi jeg har, jeg har en løsning,

because I have a solution.

I have a strategy.

jeg har en strategi.

It's the one Mommy and Daddy told me about.

Det er den Mor og Far fortalte mig om.

Mommy and Daddy told me that if I worked hard,

Mor og Far fortalte mig, at hvis jeg arbejdede hårdt,

I'd have a good career.

ville jeg få en god karriere. Så, hvis man arbejder hårdt

So, if you work hard and have a good career,

og har en god karriere, hvis man arbejder virkelig, virkelig, virkelig hårdt,

if you work really, really, really hard,

you'll have a great career.

vil man få en fantastisk karriere. Giver det ikke, ligesom,

Doesn't that, like, mathematically make sense?"

mening matematisk set?"

Hmm. Not.

Hmm. Nej. (Latter)

But you've managed to talk yourself into that.

Men man har klaret, at indbilde sig selv det.

You know what? Here's a little secret:

Ved I hvad? Her er en lille hemmelighed.

You want to work? You want to work really, really, really hard?

Vil man arbejde? Vil man arbejde virkelig, virkelig, virkelig hårdt?

You know what? You'll succeed.

Ved I hvad? Det får man succes med. Verden vil give én

The world will give you the opportunity

muligheden for at arbejde virkelig, virkelig, virkelig hårdt.

to work really, really, really, really hard.

But, are you so sure

Men er man så sikker på, at det vil give én

that that's going to give you a great career,

en fantastisk karriere, når alle beviserne viser det modsatte?

when all the evidence is to the contrary?

So let's deal with those of you who are trying to find your passion.

Så lad os antage, lad os se på de af jer,

der prøver på at finde jeres passion.

You actually understand that you really had better do it,

I forstår faktisk, at I hellere bør gøre det.

never mind the excuses.

Glem undskyldningerne. I vil prøve på at finde jeres passion,

You're trying to find your passion --

(Sigh)

and you're so happy.

og I er så lykkelige.

You found something you're interested in.

I har fundet noget I er interesseret i.

"I have an interest! I have an interest!"

Jeg har en interesse! Jeg har en interesse! Fortæller I mig.

You tell me.

You say, "I have an interest!" I say, "That's wonderful!

I siger, "Jeg har en interesse!" Jeg siger, "Det er vidunderligt!

Og hvad, hvad prøver du at fortælle mig? At du -- "

And what are you trying to tell me?"

"Well, I have an interest."

"Jamen, jeg har en interesse."

I say, "Do you have passion?"

Jeg siger, "Har du passion?"

"I have an interest," you say.

"Jeg har en interesse," siger du.

"Your interest is compared to what?"

Din interesse er sammenlignet med hvad?

"Well, I'm interested in this."

"Jamen, jeg er interesseret i dette."

"And what about the rest of humanity's activities?"

Og hvad med resten af menneskehedens aktiviteter?

"Jeg er ikke interesseret i dem."

"I'm not interested in them."

"You've looked at them all, have you?"

Du har kigget på dem alle, hva?

"No. Not exactly."

"Nej. Ikke helt."

Passion is your greatest love.

Passion er ens største kærlighed.

Passion is the thing

Passion er den ting, der vil hjælpe en med at skabe

that will help you create the highest expression of your talent.

det højeste udtryk af ens talent.

Passion, interest -- it's not the same thing.

Passion, interesse -- det er ikke den samme ting.

Are you really going to go to your sweetie and say,

Vil I virkelig gå hen til jeres skat og sige,

"Marry me! You're interesting."

"Gift dig med mig! Du er interessant." (Latter)

(Laughter)

Won't happen.

Det kommer ikke til at ske. Det kommer ikke til at ske, og man vil dø alene. (Latter)

Won't happen, and you will die alone.

(Laughter)

What you want,

Det man vil have, det man vil have, det man vil have,

what you want, what you want,

er passion. Det er ud over interesse.

is passion.

It is beyond interest.

You need 20 interests, and then one of them,

Man har brug for 20 interesser, og så en af dem,

one of them might grab you,

en af dem fanger en måske, en af dem kunne måske engagere én

one of them might engage you more than anything else,

mere end noget andet, og så har man måske fundet

and then you may have found your greatest love,

ens største kærlighed sammelignet med alle de andre ting

in comparison to all the other things that interest you,

som interesserer én, og det er hvad passion er.

and that's what passion is.

I have a friend, proposed to his sweetie.

Jeg har en karmmerat der friede til sin skat.

He was an economically rational person.

Han var en økonomisk rationel person.

Han sagde til sin skat, "Lad os gifte os.

He said to his sweetie, "Let us marry.

Lad os fusionere vores interesser."

Let us merge our interests."

(Laughter)

(Latter)

Yes, he did.

Ja han gjorde.

"I love you truly," he said. "I love you deeply.

"Jeg elsker dig oprigtigt," sagde han. "Jeg elsker dig dybt. Jeg elsker dig

I love you more than any other woman I've ever encountered.

mere end nogen anden kvinde jeg nogensinde har mødt.

I love you more than Mary, Jane, Susie, Penelope,

Jeg elsker dig mere end Mary, Jane, Susie, Penelope,

Ingrid, Gertrude, Gretel --

Ingrid, Gertrude, Gretel --

I was on a German exchange program then.

Jeg var med i et tysk udvekslingsprogram dengang." (Latter)

I love you more than --"

"Jeg elsker dig mere end -- "

All right.

Okay! Hun forlod lokalet halvvejs gennem hans opremsning

She left the room

halfway through his enumeration of his love for her.

om hans kærlighed for hende.

After he got over his surprise at being, you know, turned down,

Efter han kom sig over overraskelsen af at blive afvist,

konkluderede han, at han med nød og næppe var sluppet

he concluded he'd had a narrow escape

from marrying an irrational person.

fra at gifte sig med en irrationel person,

Although, he did make a note to himself that the next time he proposed,

selvom han havde noteret sig, at næste gang

han friede, var det måske ikke nødvendigt at opremse

it was perhaps not necessary

to enumerate all of the women he had auditioned for the part.

alle de kvinder han havde haft til audition til rollen. (Latter)

(Laughter)

But the point stands.

Men pointen står stadig. Man skal se efter alternativer,

You must look for alternatives so that you find your destiny,

så man kan finde sin skæbne,

eller er I bange for ordet "skæbne"?

or are you afraid of the word "destiny"?

Does the word "destiny" scare you?

Skræmmer ordet "skæbne" jer?

That's what we're talking about.

Det er det vi taler om, og hvis man ikke finder

And if you don't find the highest expression of your talent,

det højeste udtryk for ens talent, hvis man nøjes

if you settle for "interesting," what the hell ever that means,

med "interessant," hvad søren det end betyder,

do you know what will happen at the end of your long life?

ved I så hvad der sker i slutningen af jeres lange liv?

Your friends and family will be gathered in the cemetery,

Ens venner og familie vil samles ved kirkegården,

and there beside your gravesite will be a tombstone,

og der, ved siden af ens gravsted, vil der være en gravsten,

og på den gravsten vil der stå,

and inscribed on that tombstone

it will say, "Here lies a distinguished engineer,

"Her ligger en udmærket ingeniør, der opfandt Velcro."

who invented Velcro."

Men det der burde have stået på gravstenen var,

But what that tombstone should have said,

in an alternative lifetime,

efter et andet liv,

what it should have said if it was your highest expression of talent,

det, der burde have stået, hvis det var ens højeste udtryk af

talent, var, "Her ligger den sidste Nobelprismodtager i Fysik,

was, "Here lies the last Nobel Laureate in Physics,

who formulated the Grand Unified Field Theory

der formulerede Grand Unified Field Theory,

and demonstrated the practicality of warp drive."

og demonstrerede den praktiske anvendelighed af warp drive."

(Laughter)

(Latter)

Velcro, indeed!

Velcro, vor Herre bevares. (Latter)

(Laughter)

Det ene var en fantastisk karriere.

One was a great career.

One was a missed opportunity.

Det anden var en forspildt chance.

But then, there are some of you who,

Men igen, der er nogle af jer,

på trods af alle de undskyldninger, I vil finde,

in spite of all these excuses, you will find,

you will find your passion.

I vil finde jeres passion,

And you'll still fail.

og I vil stadig fejle.

You're going to fail, because --

I vil fejle, fordi,

fordi I kommer ikke til at gøre det,

because you're not going to do it,

because you will have invented a new excuse,

fordi I vil have opfundet en ny undskyldning,

any excuse to fail to take action,

en hvilken som helst undskyldning for at ikke at have taget affære, og denne undskyldning

and this excuse, I've heard so many times:

har jeg hørt så mange gange.

"Yes, I would pursue a great career,

"Ja, jeg ville følge en fantastisk karriere, men jeg værdsætter

but, I value human relationships --

menneskelige forhold mere end præstationer.

(Laughter)

more than accomplishment.

I want to be a great friend.

Jeg vil være en fantastisk ven. Jeg vil være en fantastisk ægtefælle.

I want to be a great spouse.

I want to be a great parent,

Jeg vil være en fantastisk forælder, og jeg vil ikke ofre dem

and I will not sacrifice them

på alteret for fantastiske præstationer."

on the altar of great accomplishment."

(Latter)

(Laughter)

What do you want me to say?

Hvad vil I have jeg skal sige?

Now, do you really want me to say now, tell you,

Men, vil I virkelig have mit til at sige nu, fortælle jer,

"Really, I swear I don't kick children."

"Stol på mig, jeg sparker virkelig ikke børn." (Latter)

(Laughter)

Hmm? Se på den verdensanskuelse I har givet jer.

Look at the worldview you've given yourself.

I er en helt uanset hvad, og jeg, ved at antyde,

You're a hero no matter what.

And I, by suggesting ever so delicately

nok så yndefuldt, at hvis I måske ønsker en fantastisk karriere,

that you might want a great career, must hate children.

så må I hade børn. Jeg hader ikke børn. Jeg sparker dem ikke.

I don't hate children. I don't kick them.

Yes, there was a little kid wandering through this building

Ja, der var et lille barn, der gik gennem denne bygning

when I came here, and no, I didn't kick him.

da jeg kom her, og nej, jeg sparkede ham ikke. (Latter)

(Laughter)

Course, I had to tell him the building was for adults only,

Jeg måtte fortælle ham, at bygningen kun var for voksne

and to get out.

og at komme ud.

Han mumlede noget om sin mor,

He mumbled something about his mother,

and I told him she'd probably find him outside anyway.

og jeg fortalte ham at hun sikkert ville finde ham udenfor alligevel.

Last time I saw him, he was on the stairs crying.

Sidste gang jeg så ham, sad han på trapperne og græd. (Latter)

(Laughter)

What a wimp.

Sikke en kylling. (Latter)

(Laughter)

But what do you mean? That's what you expect me to say.

Men hvad mener I? Det er hvad I forventede at jeg ville sige.

Do you really think it's appropriate

Mener I virkelig, mener I virkelig at det er passende

that you should actually take children and use them as a shield?

at man bør tage

børn og bruge dem som et skjold?

You know what will happen someday,

I ved at det vil ske en dag,

din ideale forælder, dig?

you ideal parent, you?

Den knægt vil komme til en en dag og sige,

The kid will come to you someday and say,

"I know what I want to be.

"Jeg ved hvad jeg vil være.

I know what I'm going to do with my life."

Jeg ved hvad jeg vil gøre med mit liv."

You are so happy.

Man er så glad. Det er samtalen

It's the conversation a parent wants to hear,

en forælder gerne vil høre, fordi ens barn er god til matematik,

because your kid's good in math,

and you know you're going to like what comes next.

og man ved, at du vil elske at høre det, der kommer bagefter.

Says your kid,

Knægten siger, "Jeg har besluttet,

"I have decided I want to be a magician.

at jeg vil være tryllekunstner.

I want to perform magic tricks on the stage."

Jeg vil udføre tryllekunster på scenen."

(Latter)

(Laughter)

And what do you say?

Og hvad siger du?

You say, you say,

Du siger, du siger,

"That's risky, kid.

"Umm …det er riscikabelt, knægt.

Might fail, kid. Don't make a lot of money at that, kid.

Det kunne slå fejl, knægt. Det kommer du ikke til at tjene mange penge på, knægt.

I don't know, kid, you should think about that again, kid.

Du ved, jeg ved det ikke, knægt,

du bør tænke over det igen, knægt,

You're so good at math, why don't you --"

Du er så god til matematik, hvorfor vil du ikke -- "

The kid interrupts you and says,

Og ungen afbryder en, og siger,

"Men det er min drøm. Det er min drøm at gøre dette."

"But it is my dream. It is my dream to do this."

And what are you going to say?

Og hvad siger du?

You know what you're going to say?

Ved du, hvad du vil sige?

"Hør knægt. Jeg havde også en drøm engang, men -- men."

"Look kid. I had a dream once, too, but --

But --"

So how are you going to finish the sentence with your "but"?

Så hvordan vil du afslutte sætningen med ens "men"?

"But. I had a dream too, once, kid, but I was afraid to pursue it."

"… Men. Jeg havde også en drøm, engang, knægt, men jeg var bange for at følge den."

Or are you going to tell him this:

Eller, vil du fortælle ham dette:

"Jeg havde en drøm engang, knægt.

"I had a dream once, kid.

Men så blev du født." (Latter)

But then, you were born."

(Laughter)

(Applause)

(Latter) (Bifald)

Do you really want to use your family,

Vil du, vil du virkelig bruge ens familie,

do you really ever want to look at your spouse and your kid,

vil du virkelig nogensinde kigge på din ægtefælle

og din knægt og så se dine fangevogtere?

and see your jailers?

There was something you could have said to your kid,

Der var noget man kunne have sagt til sin unge

when he or she said, "I have a dream."

da han eller hun sagde, "Jeg har en drøm."

You could have said --

Man kunne have sagt, kigget ungen i ansigtet, og sagt,

looked the kid in the face and said,

"Gør det, knægt,

"Go for it, kid!

ligesom jeg gjorde."

Just like I did."

But you won't be able to say that,

Men man vil ikke være i stand til at sige det

because you didn't.

fordi det gjorde man ikke. Så det kan man ikke. (Latter)

So you can't.

(Laughter)

Så forældrenes synder

And so the sins of the parents

hjemsøger de arme børn.

are visited on the poor children.

Why will you seek refuge in human relationships

Hvorfor vil man søge tilflugt i menneskelige forhold,

as your excuse not to find and pursue your passion?

som ens undskyldning, for ikke at finde og følge ens passion?

I ved hvorfor.

You know why.

Inderst inde ved man hvorfor

In your heart of hearts, you know why,

and I'm being deadly serious.

og jeg er fuldstændig alvorlig.

You know why you would get all warm and fuzzy

Man ved hvorfor man ville blive helt varm og kærlig

and wrap yourself up in human relationships.

og pakke sig selv ind i menneskelige forhold.

Det er fordi man er --

It is because you are --

you know what you are.

Man ved hvad man er.

You're afraid to pursue your passion.

Man er bange for at følge din passion.

You're afraid to look ridiculous.

Man er bange for at se latterlig ud.

You're afraid to try.

Man er bange for at prøve. Man er bange for at man måske fejler.

You're afraid you may fail.

Fantastisk ven, fantastisk ægtefælle, fantastisk forælder, fantastisk karriere.

Great friend, great spouse, great parent, great career.

Er det ikke pakken? Er det ikke den man er?

Is that not a package? Is that not who you are?

How can you be one without the other?

Hvordan kan man være den ene uden den anden?

But you're afraid.

Man er bange.

And that's why you're not going to have a great career.

Og det er grunden til man ikke vil få en fantastisk karriere, medmindre --

Unless --

medmindre, det mest stemningsvækkende af alle de engelske ord --

"unless," that most evocative of all English words --

"unless."

medmindre.

Men medmindre-ordet er også forbundet

But the "unless" word is also attached

to that other, most terrifying phrase,

med den anden, mest skræmmende vending,

"If only I had ..."

"Hvis bare jeg havde …"

"If only I had ..."

"Hvis bare jeg havde …"

If you ever have that thought ricocheting in your brain,

Hvis man nogensinde har haft den tanke rummestere rundt i hjernen,

it will hurt a lot.

vil den gøre meget ondt.

So, those are the many reasons

Så, der er mange grunde

why you are going to fail

til hvorfor man vil fejle

to have a great career.

med at have en fantastisk karriere,

medmindre …

Unless --

Medmindre.

Unless.

Thank you.

Tak. (Bifald)

(Applause)