Personal Narrative: Lessons In Life

I remember being eleven years old and my friend, Gabby, had just gotten her first cell phone – it was a Virgin Mobile silver flip phone. I did not have a cell phone yet but I remember really wanting to have a Virgin Mobile flip phone just like her. I ended up with a ‘lesser cool’ version of her phone but nonetheless, that was the first time that the Virgin brand and I had ever crossed paths. Soon after, I became aware of the other companies like Virgin Atlantic and even later, I came to learn that Richard Branson was the man behind the brand, who even owned his own island somewhere in the Caribbean. I never did further research on him so I thought I would take this opportunity to finally read up on the man who first sparked my interests in

In this edition of ‘Quick Reads’ the author, Richard Branson, details monumental moments that affected and moulded him into becoming the successful businessman, husband and father that he is today. Richard Branson focuses on two things: Lessons and Goals. He uses the lessons that he has learned - and he has learned many - that were both positive and even downright terrible to assist with his growth as a businessman and he continuously sets goals that he wants to achieve. Not only does he set goals but he ensures that he finds ways to get it done no matter the circumstance. He loves taking risks, but calculated ones and lives by the rule that, ‘As soon as something isn’t fun it’s time to move on.’ Richard Branson emphasizes on the importance of not working 24/7 and being sure to make time for adventures. He understands that life is not only about work and money but more so the experiences that you gain from travel and adventure as well as the moments you spend with loved

His mum, Eve, instilled a wonderful work ethic in him, whilst ensuring that he always knew what was truly important in life. His family assisted in his businesses from the beginning by selling ‘Student’ magazines for him, which was the first company he ever launched when he was at the tender age of fifteen. He had absolutely no experience when he started that business however, he always felt as though challenging himself was necessary. And a challenge it was. Because of his dyslexia, he had trouble with school and found that reading and writing was difficult, yet, he did not allow that to stop him from having a magazine. His dyslexia can surly be viewed as a gift now because his disability allowed him to work even harder which led to him having a sharp, distinct memory, where he only needed to identify one word to recall an entire conversation he may have had with someone in the