“My motto is, 'Never do anything if it means you can't sleep at night.' It's a good rule to follow.”

The Spanish painter, Salvador Dali, had a unique way to savour the moment. When he was bored with life, he would walk in his cliff-top garden. He would pick a perfect peach, and hold it in his hand to admire its golden skin. He would sniff it. The warm perfume would fill his senses. Then he would take a single bite. His mouth would fill with luscious juice. He would savour it slowly. Then he would spit out the mouthful and throw the peach into the sea below…..

Salvador Dalí’s Peach

“Fun is at the core of the way I do business. It has been the key to it all from the start. I see no reason to change it.”

…..He said it was a perfect moment and he gained more from that than from eating a basket of peaches. In a way, regrets are like wanting the peach you have thrown away. It's gone, but you are filled with remorse. You wish you hadn't thrown it away. You want it back. I believe the one thing that helps is to have no regrets. Regrets weigh you down. They hold you back in the past when you should move on.

Regrets Weigh You Down

“If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it's like to win.”

“If you challenge yourself, you will grow. Your life will change. Your outlook will be positive. It’s not always easy to reach your goal but that’s no reason to stop. Say yourself ‘I can do it. I’ll keep on trying until I win.’”

“If you don't have the right experience to reach your goal, look for another way in.”

“We all need our own space and it's good to pause and do nothing. It gives us time to think. It recharges our bodies as well as our minds. “

'I know you've learned a lesson, Ricky. Don't cry over spilled milk. We've got to get on and deal with this head on.'

“Today nothing is sure and life is one long struggle.”

“As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.”

“You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”

“Business opportunities are like buses; there’s always another one coming.”

“Some you win and some you lose. Be glad when you win. Don’t have regrets when you lose. Never look back. You can’t change the past. I try to learn from it.”

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British business magnate and commercial astronaut. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.

Throughout my life I have achieved many remarkable things. In Screw It, Let's Do It, I will share with you my ideas and the secrets of my success, but not simply because I hope they'll help you achieve your individual goals. Today we are increasingly aware of the effects of our actions on the environment, and I strongly believe that we each have a responsibility, as individuals and organisations, to do no harm. I will draw on Gaia Capitalism to explain why we need to take stock of how we may be damaging the environment, and why it is up to big companies like Virgin to lead the way in a more holistic approach to business. In Screw It, Let's Do It I'll be looking forwards to the future. A lot has changed since I founded Virgin in 1968, and I'll explain how I intend to take my business and my ideas to the next level and the new and exciting areas - such as launching Virgin Fuels - into which Virgin is currently moving. But I have also brought together all the important lessons, good advice and inspirational adages that have helped me along the road to success. Ironically, I have never been one to do things by the book, but I have been inspired and influenced by many remarkable people. I hope that you too might find a little inspiration between these pages.

RICHARD BRANSON

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