if you're going to be good at something
it does take a while just enjoy the game
there what I realize very young is that
I didn't want to live in fear where most
people get it wrong is they're afraid of
losing what they've got anybody who at
the age of 60 calls himself sting is an
idiot he's an English reality TV judge
entrepreneur and philanthropist he's
most recognized as a judge on the TV
series American Idol x-factor and
America's Got Talent
according to The Sunday Times he's one
of the wealthiest people in the UK in
2015 he had an estimated net worth of
over 325 million pounds he's Simon
Cowell and here's my take on his top ten
rules for success rule number two is my
personal favorite I make sure to stick
around although to the end for some
special bonus clips and as always if
Simon says something that really really
means something to you is really
meaningful please leave it in the
comments below and put quotes around it
so other people can be inspired as well
enjoy
the good thing about how I made a career
was I was patient so I would say to
anybody still today if you're gonna be
good at something it does take a while
just enjoy the getting there you're
gonna get fed up you're gonna get
disheartened and people gonna tell you
you're useless had all that but what I
can say after about 15 or 20 years I
learned how to do something well and I
enjoyed that getting there as much as
being there let's see you're about to
get out of high school and you say to
yourself as you said to yourself you
know what I don't think I'm college
material
the fear sets in that number one if you
don't go off to college then the world's
going to pass you by that's first of all
yes secondly it is if something's going
to happen I gotta make it happen quickly
I can't afford to spend four or five 10
years in an apprenticeship it daddy I
think it depends what you want in your
life
I mean what I realized very young is
that I didn't want to live in fear all
my years in school I did live in fear
that if you got something wrong they
would beat you I mean literally so you
were kind of nervous and I was always
scared that I could have a job which I
may not be very good in and my boss
could hate me and if he hated me he
could fire me and I thought I couldn't
live my life like that so I kind of
prepared myself to be good at something
where I wouldn't have to have a boss
and then I would only have myself to
answer to and then I wouldn't live in
fear any longer
and there are times in this job where
you get nervous or you lose your nerve
but I don't wake up every morning like I
did when I was going to school or wake
up on a Monday morning feeling sick
because I've got to go to school so I'm
a great believer of if you're not bright
at school and I wasn't clever at school
you can teach yourself something good
providing you have a good mentor and
providing that you're patient what is it
to you to be popular are very important
whether you're a sportsman or you're in
business or you know doing what I do
where you make TV shows
nobody does this to become 77th you know
you always always strive to be more
successful than new competition and the
day that stopped you have to stop doing
this for a living genuinely you have to
have that drug even as a kid if I was
losing monopoly I'd tip the board up oh
my god yeah absolutely
oh I'd be the banker and nickel the
money so I would always win so tell me
everybody wants to know why are you
leaving probably for the same reasons
you left huh you just noticed time time
time's up and I remember the first year
when we did this and it was like an
adventure and and I loved that not
knowing if it was going to be successful
and the buzz we were kind of making it
up every week yeah when I interviewed
you have to first season you said I
don't know how long with this can go on
you don't see when we first met oh yeah
everything good at the time this would
be the one at any time I'm sure you and
I ever made things I'm not sure we gonna
be around much longer but I just I loved
that buzz um and I like the kind of the
adventure and it was fun and then you
get to a point mm-hmm and for whatever
reason two years ago I remember sitting
in the auditions one day and I thought I
think this about as far as we can go hmm
and I've always promised myself that I'd
leave before I was forced to go um it
feels like the right thing to do 13
years ago you were completely lost gone
no money you had five pounds and seven
dollars left in your hand you use it for
a taxi back to your parents and your
career in a record business had just
come to a sudden shuddering halt and
here you are 13 years later you're worth
hundreds of millions of dollars life's
taking a huge turn up as but I get the
sense with either what happened to you
13 years ago still defines you now yeah
I mean it wasn't the best of times but
and then again when I look back on it it
wasn't the worst of times you know
because I I think particularly here in
in Hollywood where where most people get
it wrong is they're afraid of losing
what they've got they're just terrified
of losing their fame as you said power
but actually once you've lost it you can
always get it back again then when it's
not the end of the world I mean being
heals worse so because I've actually
faced one of most people's worst fears
and recovered from it it's not as bad as
you think
you know I didn't lose my confidence my
friends were still my friends
I've lived with my parents and I just
saw as a challenge that I've got to get
myself back on my feet again what advice
to parents give you them they were
really you know honest to god they were
just cool about it you know they were
parents who just you know want to look
after me live with them for a while my
dad left me some money to pay the bank
than eventually managed to pay my dad
back you know it was what any parent
would do but like I said it's it wasn't
it wasn't the worst time of my life and
actually when I look back on it now I
still smile because and I bought this
beat-up old British sports car worked 18
hours a day and I'm so determined piers
just to get it right this time because I
knew why I got it wrong so now I find it
much easier to deal with things if that
wasn't the worst time in your life what
was when my dad died was the worst time
in my life as you know you and I
discussed that it was just that you know
like getting ill losing a parent or
losing a you know somebody close to you
that's the worst thing that could ever
happen in your life you know all the
things that I worry about now just
trivial I mean you know even the whole
kind of idol x-factor thing I laugh
about it because it's such a high-class
problem my show's better than your show
is i but we both we both gotta show was
it a bit like Colin Firth and and Hugh
Grant and the Fountain Inn Bridget Jones
it's not quite exactly over what I've
made the fact that we're here we can do
this it's fantastic do you think the
secret to your success is actually that
you are in many ways and the way you
lead your life your tastes a quite
average middle of the road
the kind of stuff that the mass market
would like for sure absolutely right and
I don't think you can make records other
that you can make TV shows properly
unless you can sit there as a listener
or viewer you can't guess what people
like it would be like me guessing what
you
one for dinner it's impossible I can
tell you what I want
so I base everything on my own tastes
and I have you know fairly broad you
know I'd say quite simple tastes
I never tried to make my show mean it
was supposed to be funnier rather than
me some you just say something meanest
things ever seen on American talent a
what coming from you not intentionally
but you know what we're like we have a
we have a different sense of humor you
know we look at things in a different
way I like things to be a bit more
extreme a bit more crazy and I always
felt with the idol producers they want
it to be a bit more homely and safe so I
think for them now they're very very
happy because they can make the show
they want to make now and then I can go
make the show I want to make will you be
a different character on x-factor the
one we saw on Idol like what I'll
imagine it what those sort of people
trust us this is what he's really like
if on acting no but that's what I was
gonna say that I I think that you know
you can't go on one of these shows and
put on an act I mean if somebody
horrific is singing in front of you I
can't sit there and go take a few ball
lessons and come back next year
everything's going to be great I'm like
put this person out of their misery oh
it makes me laugh but I do like the I
like things to be really really extreme
and and I like it to be slightly chaotic
and I like it to be controversial how
can I make you feel important this
interview you already have this
litigator I filled in the holding I
noticed one of your sayings that's the
first thing you do try to do is convince
the other person it's you to make them
feel important it's good that you
mention that something my dad taught me
when when I was very young and I asked
him a question once you know how he runs
a company and he said it's very simple
he said everybody has a sign on their
head that says make me feel important
and it's something I've always been very
aware of that when you make a show and
you've got 150 people on it every person
on that show rightly has to feel that
they're acknowledged for the part they
play if you start thinking it's all
about you you've got a big problem Steve
recently said the X Factor is a
preposterous shirt and you have judges
who have no recognizable talent apart
from self-promotion and devising a lot
to wear and how to look it is appalling
well first of all anybody who at the age
of sixty calls himself sting is an idiot
I find those kind of people who live who
really do live in mansions you know who
come from you know quite humble
beginnings and they're living you know
in these stately homes professing to
know everything about everything in the
world and what the contestants may or
may not feel they can say that because
they've got everything they want in
their lives but what they're really
saying is anybody else who needs a shot
shouldn't be allowed to do it have you
always lived your life with this
relentless honesty I think so yeah um I
mean when I said when I was young dad I
got into the music business via the
mailroom
and you kind of hustle your way you know
into the main part of the record company
or the music publishing companies it was
in those days and you try and work your
way up and the interesting thing is it's
a business where they invest millions
and millions of dollars but they give
you no training so you know when you
when you screw up and I did in the early
days I mean I was told in no uncertain
terms why I've made a mistake and I
would I was taught tough love and in
return I try and do the same thing bad
because the worst thing you can do is
particularly when I do a talent show if
somebody comes in with absolutely no
talent whatsoever absolutely no jobs of
a career I think it's I think is a crime
to say to these people we'll take a
couple of singing lessons that it will
all work out because it just doesn't
work out that way so let me just go to
Susan Boyle why was that one of your
favorite auditions Susan Boyle I'm being
honest with you on the day I was in such
a bad mood and just didn't want to be
there bored
never thought we find anyone good second
I saw her come out I see them from the
right-hand side walk out and I'm well
we go and you were judging the book by
its cover
hundred million percent yes and I also
guessed because they're holding the
dreaded handheld microphone and as a
singer I know this is gonna be terrible
and I would completely judge in the book
because just the way she was walking on
I thought she's either gonna tell jokes
or she's gonna sing or even worse a
combination of the two until I was so
not interested and the audience were the
same you know they'd sat there a long
time they were restless and I wasn't
really listening to her answers and then
she started to sing and and I thought my
god we've got this so wrong and then
when I watched the clip back when it was
already together and I saw the whole
thing
uh I actually hated myself I mean
genuinely hated you ser I thought you
know what we're all sneering um we're
not listening to people with judging
everybody I just didn't like what I saw
uh yourself for sure oh yeah it was a
wake-up call and I was happy that she
made us look stupid genuinely happy
because we deserved it seriously I was
blown away by that and you know I just
want to address something I know the
show's Britain's Got Talent and you're
not from Britain but I am absolutely
honored that you chose this show to show
us your talent I really
always welcome talent wherever he is
around the world and I genuinely feel
privileged that we've just seen one of
the most amazing things I've ever seen
on this show we really move in fantastic
fantastic
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because Michaela Lynch
asked me to so if there's a famous
entrepreneur that you I made a profile
next leave it down the comments below
and I'll see what I can do I'd also love
to know which assignments rules had the
biggest impact on you what did you learn
most what are you going to apply to your
life for business what was most
eye-opening about this video leave it in
the comments and I'm going to join in
the discussion I also want to give a
quick shout-out to Dorma gene macGruber
thank you so much for picking up a copy
of my book it really really really means
a lot to me so thank you guys again for
watching I believe in you I hope you
continue to believe in yourself and
whatever your one word is much love I'll
see you soon
get good you're the first in and you're
the last out and you listen rather than
talking because if you're lucky in life
and your eyes and ears are open you may
bump into somebody who can transform
your life because they can teach you but
to meet that person you've got to be
receptive if that makes sense to do what
I do the only thing I I that bothers me
is whether or not I'm relevant any
longer because I think if you're sitting
on these shows but you're not having hit
records or hit artists in your real life
I think you look a bit of an idiot so I
that's all I really care about dan is
that I can sit on one of these shows and
justify why I'm there because in my day
job I am creating hit artists otherwise
you're just a judge for hire which I
just couldn't do