The two words that got me my PhD

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  • Опубликовано: 20 май 2018
  • Get ready for your exams with practice questions on Brilliant: brilliant.org/SimonClark/
    Follow me on Twitch to see me going through science and maths papers at A level (and, in the future, beyond!): / drsimonclark
    This video is entirely creditable to my dad, who is cool with me stealing his intellectual property (really). It's rather pretentious to say this is a philosophy, this is more like a motto that I refer to when making decisions about work. I hope it's useful to you guys at any rate.
    You can support the channel by donating at / simonoxfphys
    --------- II ---------
    Music by: ProleteR
    Huge thanks to my supporters on Patreon: Dan Hanvey, David Efird, Suzanna Hofman, Amy Hadden, Ethan Fuller, Charles Bray, Syafiq Kay, Xavier Chesterfield, Jay Wright, Myles Kornfeld, Louis Gillet, Michael Phillips, Fraser Birks, Martin Hermes, Luca Schumann, Rhys Rickard-Frost, Cameron Matchett, Lachlan Woods, Tim Boxall, Simon Vaes, Gabriele Mozzicato, Jawad Alalasi, Gaia Frazao Nery, Kodzo, Claire Anthony, Eve Dillon, Rowan Gow, Matthias Loos, James Bridges, James Craig, Angela, Sanaa Al Derei, Mark Anthony Magro, Liam, Theresa Wang, Kieran Kelly, Wendover Productions, Kendra Johnson, Caitlin Louise.
    --------- II ---------
    Vlogs from Oxford students - / oxvlog
    My twitter - / simonoxfphys
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    My goodreads - / simonoxfphys

Комментарии • 326

  • @PolyMatter
    @PolyMatter 6 лет назад +173

    I love this! I'm frustrated by people who say life is all luck or all hard work. This is the right approach.

    • @mostdysfunctionalfamily2725
      @mostdysfunctionalfamily2725 6 лет назад

      Maybe I’m just lucky? I dunno, I do push my luck on too many occasions but I’ve scraped by just by simply going in blind and hoping for the best...

    • @hexa3389
      @hexa3389 4 года назад

      Kind of like light actually.

  • @Socratica
    @Socratica 6 лет назад +105

    Amazing growth mindset, Simon. Hard work plus humility - no guarantee of success, but giving yourself the best chance of success. Great advice here.

  • @thomaslee6534
    @thomaslee6534 6 лет назад +430

    The harder you work the luckier you become.

    • @lite6384
      @lite6384 6 лет назад +17

      lol you simplified his 10 min video into 8 words

    • @finthechat7134
      @finthechat7134 6 лет назад +2

      Some people just do have dumb luck tho. If you take a large enough population, like billions of people, then there are going to be outliers. Some people will be lucky and some unlucky.

    • @weaselhunter8324
      @weaselhunter8324 6 лет назад +7

      Yeah, some poor people are bound to have horrible lives, there isn't anything they could do to make them better. It's not like if they worked harder to increase it they would have any better of a _chance_ to have a better life or anything.
      Some people are going to have really bad luck in their lives, we get it. The point is that It's up to us to increase our chances of having good luck. Even those people out there with horrible 'luck', still have the ability to increase it by doing the work necessary to achieve it.

    • @TMThesaurus
      @TMThesaurus 6 лет назад +7

      There are limits to the amount of luck you can get in the first place. Let's say you're a sweatshop worker in Zhengzhou. No amount of work is going to meaningfully increase your chance of getting out of the shitty situation you started in.
      In addition, this type of thinking often results in people thinking of people who live in poverty as lazy, which is only a small step away from thinking they deserve to live in poverty.

    • @antons2473
      @antons2473 6 лет назад

      That is a Quote from Gary Player.

  • @smithwillnot
    @smithwillnot 6 лет назад +258

    Your dad looks and acts like the wisest man in the world. I mean this as a compliment, but since I'm bad with words I may have messed up the compliment.

    • @TheCartWizard
      @TheCartWizard 5 лет назад +3

      How on earth would that sound bad, I'd assume the "acts" part or something?

    • @ifteharulhaque2600
      @ifteharulhaque2600 5 лет назад +2

      @@TheCartWizard ya

    • @Ghost572
      @Ghost572 2 года назад

      His dad is massively offended even 3 years later.

  • @PixelGamer36
    @PixelGamer36 6 лет назад +55

    This reminds me of a quote by Louis Pasteur. "Fortune favors the prepared mind". And I completely agree with you, Simon. Now I should probably go back to work. I've been procrastrinating all day now.

  • @tibees
    @tibees 6 лет назад +58

    So true 🙌🙌

    • @nikkifrozen3814
      @nikkifrozen3814 6 лет назад +2

      Tibees i love your videos

    • @davidsweeney111
      @davidsweeney111 6 лет назад

      Hi Tibees, its great you watch Simon's vids, you are a famous youtuber!!

    • @sujoyghosh8612
      @sujoyghosh8612 3 года назад

      Love all your videos Toby!
      Love from India ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  • @mobeenkamran
    @mobeenkamran 6 лет назад +115

    All I could think at 1:01 was “holy shit he met physics girl “ lol priorities

    • @zuggrr
      @zuggrr 6 лет назад +12

      Mobeen Kamran you mean "holy shit physics girl met Simon Clarke " ?

    • @manuelbonet
      @manuelbonet 5 лет назад

      Same!

    • @luisfabricio6439
      @luisfabricio6439 4 года назад

      I know right 😂😂😂

  • @ASparkleyPenguin
    @ASparkleyPenguin 6 лет назад +42

    Your dad seems like such a lovely person

  • @kamehamehaDdragon
    @kamehamehaDdragon 6 лет назад +80

    "Luck favors the prepared mind"

  • @thepinkfloydsound5353
    @thepinkfloydsound5353 6 лет назад +355

    I dont think you needed to blur the words for the clickbait, nobody knows what proactive serendipity means😅

    • @SimonClark
      @SimonClark  6 лет назад +88

      To quote everyone's favourite auror, CONSTANT VIGILANCE

    • @donnathelightningbug
      @donnathelightningbug 6 лет назад +4

      Thanks, you just saved me ten minutes. I'm guessing it means "if you work hard, good luck will benefit you more and bad luck will affect you less"

    • @callie4579
      @callie4579 5 лет назад

      @@SimonClark AHHHHHH

  • @cil7ea
    @cil7ea 6 лет назад +50

    Is it weird I noticed PhysicsGirl first, before I did Tom Hanks? 😅

  • @deadliftbro
    @deadliftbro 6 лет назад

    You have really inspired me with all your videos Simon! Please keep this great content coming.

  • @StrLo
    @StrLo 5 лет назад +1

    Loved listening to this way of thinking, definitely a big mindset boost!

  • @GatjangDeng
    @GatjangDeng 6 лет назад

    Love you my brother! This video is relevant for anyone even if one isn't preparing for any exam! Hard work tends to pay off in one way or another in my experience.

  • @ceryscooper8597
    @ceryscooper8597 6 лет назад +14

    i have an english gcse tomorrow, and this came at perfect timing. i know a lot of your viewers are doing degrees lol and a gcse may seem small, but i've been doing quite a bit of revision and hopefully it'll go well. thank you for this advice! :)

    • @adamt7667
      @adamt7667 6 лет назад +2

      Cerys Cooper You’re sitting at a good time, grade boundaries are low while teachers still don’t know what’s going on with the syllabus. Good luck

  • @uchihamadara6024
    @uchihamadara6024 6 лет назад +28

    at 1:00 my first thought wasn't "Oh my god it's tom hanks" it was "Can't believe simon met physics girl"

  • @victoriapownall4871
    @victoriapownall4871 6 лет назад +1

    I needed this video so much after not being so lucky in an exam. Thank you!

  • @edwardsmith7396
    @edwardsmith7396 6 месяцев назад

    Great vid. Excellent content and presentation. I am hooked. I subscribed. Thanks from Canada.

  • @jeffnatiuk
    @jeffnatiuk 6 лет назад

    Loved this video, thanks Simon!

  • @sargambihari4855
    @sargambihari4855 6 лет назад

    For me what's more inspiring than "Dr. Simon" (the title) is the the willingness and effort and hardwork that Dr. Simon puts in!!! It's really inspiring. Your passion not just about physics or RUclips videos but your excitement and love to work! Wait for videos more than my favourite shows.
    I am very very very new to the family but a very very very proud subscriber!

  • @haympanesar2964
    @haympanesar2964 6 лет назад

    There is a lot in this video that people can draw inspiration and peace of mind from. Personally, i really appreciated the comments on having a mental breakdown and not letting setbacks or failures stop you from pushing forward. I have, unfortunately, been a victim of both this year (2nd year physics undergrad), with the mental breakdown stemming from being not achieving what i wanted and then it setting me back further because I had no motivation to get up after being pushed down. So, it is really nice to hear that even though these issues arise it's not the end of the world. I mean, you've been through it all, you seem to be living an enjoyable life and now I'm taking inspiration from it all.
    Thank you for these videos, and never stop doing what you do.

  • @jakepowell2403
    @jakepowell2403 6 лет назад

    Hey Simon, I love the videos you make. Been watching since my first year of university, and I can hands- down say your videos have been uplifting and very inspirational throughout my Astrophysics course. Cut to 4 years later and I've just recently graduated with a 2:1 w/ honours. All I can say is that this video and the idea of increased probability of luck through putting in effort, definitely hits home. I thoroughly like this approach! Keep up the great work dude!

  • @Physionic
    @Physionic 6 лет назад +2

    Really cool concept. Never thought about it that way, but certainly true.

  • @Josh-hi2ti
    @Josh-hi2ti 6 лет назад

    Thank you for this video, halfway through my 3rd year finals and this video has really helped me!

  • @HowtobeaHarri
    @HowtobeaHarri 6 лет назад

    Really liked the sentiment of this video and agree so much with what you've said. It was making myself known as competent/enthusiastic to my undergrad project supervisor that for sure helped me get my PhD place.

  • @neeldariya8333
    @neeldariya8333 6 лет назад

    Thanks you Simon for sharing this. At this moment it is the most helpful video. Because it gave me the solution of the problem that I'm facing right now. Thanks a lot.

  • @satyamsharma8369
    @satyamsharma8369 6 лет назад

    I have been so stressed lately and your video just made my day. Thanks.

  • @zaphill4346
    @zaphill4346 6 лет назад

    Thanks man. I have a lot of failure my education, but I'm LOVE your wise counsel. It made my mind click and find understanding. I have an academic detour, but I believe things will work out. Again thanks.

  • @AlexiMetalPiratex
    @AlexiMetalPiratex 6 лет назад +1

    God I love this, I don't know how I missed it when it was first uploaded!

  • @superfred
    @superfred 6 лет назад

    Great video Simon! Really good advice too

  • @MiketheCoder
    @MiketheCoder 3 года назад

    I NEEDED THIS!!

  • @josephharries2816
    @josephharries2816 6 лет назад +25

    Much better title Simon fits in with the RUclips algorithm perfectly

  • @amybonnie3790
    @amybonnie3790 3 года назад +2

    I'm currently doing a master's and hoping to do a PhD. But I'm very aware I'm unlikely to get a PhD position, and I start to wonder why I'm bothering doing a master's at all. But after watching this, I now trust that - even if I don't get a PhD placement - putting the effort in now will pay off in one way or another. Thanks for calming down an over-stressing student!!

  • @RainyLeaf89
    @RainyLeaf89 6 лет назад

    Welcome back Simon!:) Watching this video one month after my exams, all the while being unemployed, did make me feel better :)

  • @roamwithken
    @roamwithken 6 лет назад +1

    oh my god, I love you, from your really stellar book recommendations like "Mindset" to this... top quality content Simon, lots of love, a long time subscriber from Nepal

    • @mar3857
      @mar3857 2 года назад +1

      That book is great!!

  • @brundhaaa
    @brundhaaa 6 лет назад

    This actually motivated me to get up and start working for my SAT math 2, thank you so much 💕

  • @amayaawijesinghe2059
    @amayaawijesinghe2059 6 лет назад

    Totally love this video!

  • @michaelhudecek2778
    @michaelhudecek2778 Год назад

    Thank you Dr Simon Clark! I really liked this information you shared with us! 😊😊😊. Michael

  • @Leo-lx8bu
    @Leo-lx8bu 6 лет назад +3

    Just wanna say, this video is incredible, very inspiring and I think I might try and use those two words from now on, thank yourself and your dad for me haha :D

  • @AngleofLuck
    @AngleofLuck 5 лет назад

    so inspiring , Thank you so much

  • @xioz4534
    @xioz4534 6 лет назад

    Thanks simon really needed that right now

  • @moosikal
    @moosikal 6 лет назад

    What a fantastic life philosophy, thanks Simon. I wish I had learnt this sooner!

  • @raeh.3329
    @raeh.3329 6 лет назад +1

    I was taught this by my dad as well! He phrases it as "Luck happens to the well-prepared", but it is the same sentiment and has helped me put myself in so many "lucky" situations over the years!

  • @MrJloucks
    @MrJloucks 6 лет назад

    I think I found your channel at a very transformational time in my PhD program. A time where I'm questioning how things will be after and who I will be after. Thanks for the content! Cheers.

  • @raraoohlala547
    @raraoohlala547 6 лет назад

    this is such a motivational video - love it!!

  • @MrViped100
    @MrViped100 6 лет назад

    Brilliant video. A very interesting philosophy which I will try to harness over the next three weeks ;)

  • @YashBandicoot
    @YashBandicoot 6 лет назад +4

    You need to start a podcast. It would be awesome! You have very interesting topics and great knowledge.

    • @spookyrabbit19
      @spookyrabbit19 6 лет назад +2

      He has a podcast already! It's called the wikicast :)

  • @EuskaltelEuskadi
    @EuskaltelEuskadi 6 лет назад +130

    Can your dad get his own channel please?

  • @abhijeetghodgaonkar
    @abhijeetghodgaonkar 6 лет назад

    Woahhhhhh mindblowing insight!

  • @juliahormayer7255
    @juliahormayer7255 6 лет назад

    Love this, so true!!!

  • @helenabremermann127
    @helenabremermann127 6 лет назад

    What a great concept!! I love the way you explained it! Thanks for the great content!!
    P.S: waiting for my merch to arrive❤️

    • @SimonClark
      @SimonClark  6 лет назад

      T shirts should be with me any day now, and they'll be shipped ASAP after that!

  • @jakeellwood1807
    @jakeellwood1807 6 лет назад +2

    When Simon uploads a video all revision ceases!

  • @eraera7195
    @eraera7195 6 лет назад

    Thank you! I am going to write down some of the things you said and put it in my diary !

  • @jollyrodgertr
    @jollyrodgertr 6 лет назад

    This is a great video!

  • @zeyadjy7229
    @zeyadjy7229 6 лет назад

    amazing advice thank you

  • @michelepinato1158
    @michelepinato1158 26 дней назад

    I've first watched this video a few years back and honestly it helped me quite a lot in my journey through uni, I really think this is the best way to look at things.
    Still, next week I have my last exam and I am utterly terrified at failing it, so I am leaving this comment as a note for my future self.
    Now back to work

  • @redflash4783
    @redflash4783 6 лет назад +3

    thank you simon

  • @josefstr
    @josefstr 6 лет назад +5

    your dad is so lovely :)

  • @migueld2456
    @migueld2456 6 лет назад

    This is the best video I've seen on personal advice.

  • @icecreamforever
    @icecreamforever 6 лет назад

    Thanks.... your vid touch’s on so much about life in general.

  • @sareletje
    @sareletje 5 лет назад +2

    This is actually very useful to hear! I've written it on a post-it. Exams in january, eeek!

  • @alikaboosi9276
    @alikaboosi9276 6 лет назад +3

    I love your personality.❤

  • @jacielespinosa-severo7134
    @jacielespinosa-severo7134 2 года назад

    Omg this is concept that everyone needs to know!!!

  • @ShirazZiya
    @ShirazZiya 6 лет назад

    Spot on!!

  • @rezvlt9285
    @rezvlt9285 6 лет назад

    Lucky to have a really caring and wise Dad.

  • @mutchk
    @mutchk 6 лет назад +12

    But to do calculate is three words?

  • @theurbanfox1994
    @theurbanfox1994 6 лет назад

    Thanks a lot man

  • @Donmegamuffin
    @Donmegamuffin 6 лет назад +1

    I very much agree with you here, and have a similar story of my summers of Proactive Serendipity (if you care to read! ^^ :
    I started my Physics BSc with ACC a levels, but had made my luck and gotten my university placement, by doing a research project at the university a summer before, and the supervisor for that project was one of the people in charge of admissions to the course.
    So I got in, worked my arse off, moved from BSc to MPhys as my grades climbed and climbed, and just last autumn, after spending my summer learning C++ in my free time, as I thought it was a valuable skill, a PhD opportunity came up for exactly the kind of field I wanted, extremely competetive, but required strong coding. Well, I'd just spent 3months doing exactly that day in, day out, and after being whittled down to the last 2, and 6 hours of interview later, I got the offer.
    Those productive summer were my Proactive Serendipity summers
    Now, with my final exam tomorrow, I don't even have to pass it to achieve my dreams of starting a PhD
    So wish me luck!
    (EXTRA: weirdly enough, the two exams I'd probably been the most confident with, and put the most work into during my degree, Id also gotten the least lucky with, which meant I would have bombed them if not for the hard work I'd put in, so lucky, maybe?)
    Anyway, great video, keep it up!

  • @cosminstanescu1469
    @cosminstanescu1469 4 года назад

    Thanks a lot for all the food for thought you post. You might just be a career savior.

  • @tombasu6108
    @tombasu6108 6 лет назад

    Great concept

  • @lourensed
    @lourensed 6 лет назад

    hah, a notification for your video about working hard interrupting me studying physics, ironic.
    Good video Simon!

  • @SohomBhattacharjee
    @SohomBhattacharjee 6 лет назад

    this was

  • @anap987
    @anap987 6 лет назад +5

    'Fortune favors the prepared mind.'

  • @rgbplaza5945
    @rgbplaza5945 6 лет назад +2

    And u got to meet physics girl!!!

  • @tomkache3857
    @tomkache3857 6 лет назад

    Couldn't agree more!

  • @TaeNyFan
    @TaeNyFan 6 лет назад

    Good video! Liked how you associate 'luck' with 'hard work'.

  • @alth4082
    @alth4082 6 лет назад

    A very positive (and factual!) message.

  • @Antenox
    @Antenox 6 лет назад +1

    This is how I started working for a certain organization dedicated to space exploration that I've dreamed of working for since childhood but, in my adulthood, had almost given up on, until proactive serendipty stepped in.
    I didn’t plan to apply when I browsed their jobs site. And my post-college career was never directed specifically at them (because it always seemed so unattainable). But I pursued a career in a somewhat adjacent field and worked hard at it, knowing that a lot of places would need people like me. As it turned out, many years later, one of those places was my dream job. :)

  • @jeannesemple7349
    @jeannesemple7349 6 лет назад

    bless you

  • @simonsbeard8085
    @simonsbeard8085 6 лет назад +1

    Why didn't I get this in my subscription box till now? Great job youtube...

  • @rafaelgpontes
    @rafaelgpontes 6 лет назад

    Man, this video basically describes my life!! Some people think I'm crazy for doing so many things, but what you said is pretty much what happens to people like us!

  • @bearsbearsbears375
    @bearsbearsbears375 6 лет назад

    This blows my mind

  • @mahmoodshah2404
    @mahmoodshah2404 4 года назад

    I just learned something new and useful in a month :D

  • @mintymilkk
    @mintymilkk 6 лет назад

    what a dad to have

  • @TheTomatoCherry
    @TheTomatoCherry 6 лет назад

    Bless you. You boost my PhD journey.

  • @joshuahopgood1160
    @joshuahopgood1160 6 лет назад +3

    "You might open the paper and only find questions in areas you're weak at" ... story of my 4th year atmos exam haha

  • @antonioruiz4767
    @antonioruiz4767 6 лет назад

    Thank you

  • @hsrboys9993
    @hsrboys9993 6 лет назад

    You're amazing

  • @madeleinebrandon3866
    @madeleinebrandon3866 6 лет назад

    That is a good phrase! New favourite words!

  • @parepidemosproductions4741
    @parepidemosproductions4741 6 лет назад

    Woah woah woah, how can one be proactively serendipitous? Looking forward to you explain this my friend because serendipity is MY FAVORITE WORD

  • @RyanBeney
    @RyanBeney 6 лет назад +3

    luck is when preparation meets opportunity

  • @jonshonjohn4756
    @jonshonjohn4756 6 лет назад

    That sponsor transition was so good i almost got mad.

  • @danamirafzal9425
    @danamirafzal9425 6 лет назад

    I like your dad :) He is really like a dad ( sitting on the rocking chair and reading news paper ;) )

  • @MexieMex
    @MexieMex 6 лет назад +7

    It's like all the people who work tirelessly for decades to become an overnight success.

  • @MeganRostien
    @MeganRostien 6 лет назад

    Proactive serendipity, brilliant :)

  • @Hafsa354
    @Hafsa354 6 лет назад +1

    Okay I think I am gonna subscribe to you because I am actually thinking about getting a PhD and I find your videos very insightful and that is not because you have a british accent lol.

  • @LazarkGaming
    @LazarkGaming 6 лет назад +1

    Your dads philosophy is a reworded version of my own. Quicker you learn it, and live by it, the better your life will be.

  • @tecnoprounited9293
    @tecnoprounited9293 6 лет назад

    Fantastic video Simon! While reading a bit about "serendipity" on the internet, I found that there's a dinousaur named after this principle: The Serendipaceratops! It's named that way because the guys that discovered it only found its genus by coincidence - serendipity! How cool is that! :)

  • @HirstyXD
    @HirstyXD 6 лет назад

    Damnit thought this was a secret pass to a PhD. Kidding, great video of course.

  • @shivakumarcd
    @shivakumarcd 6 лет назад +1

    "proactive serendipity" I think its changing my life too... Its not same as "Luck is preparation meeting the opportunity" or "Fortune favors prepared mind", both these are optimistic statements that hides probability of failure. Proactive serendipity nicely encapsulates probability of failure without discouraging once preparation.. Its delicately optimistic...