Screw it, Lets Do it

Recently I completed reading a very well written book ‘Screw It, Lets Do it’ by Richard Branson. So I thought why not write a blog on the learning's from this book which can be a good summary of the book and a good archive.

My take away from the book –

“The beginning is the most important part of any work”. It doesn’t matter what it is or how hard it may seem. Just do it. Whatever your goal is you will never succeed unless you let go of your fears and fly.

Try new things and challenge yourself. It is not always easy to reach your goals but that’s no reason to stop.  Believe in your-self. There are two types of challenges. One, is to do the best you can at work. The other is to seek adventure.  Chase your dream and goals. Say to yourself, ‘I can do it. I will keep on trying until I win’. Hard won things are more valuable than those achieved easily.

Calculate the risks and take them. Try to weigh up the odds in everything you do. Once we have decided to do something, we should never look back and never regret. You can never change the past but try to learn from it. Richard mentions he has always made fast decisions and acted on his instinct. He believes in the hands that work, in the brains that think, and in the hearts that love.

Live the moment. Love life and live it to the full. Enjoy the moment, reflect on your life. We all need our own space and sometimes it’s good to pause and do nothing. It gives us time to think and recharges our bodies as well as minds.

Don’t have regrets. Regrets weigh you down. They hold you back in the past when you should move on. Past is past and you cannot change it. Keep moving on. Don’t cry over spilled milk.

Always living in the future can also slow us down as much as always looking behind. Goals are important. Money is important. But the bottom line is that money is just the means to an end, not an end itself. Long term success will never come if profit is the only aim.

And what is going on is just as important as you are planning for the future. Learn to live for the moment. Have fun, love your family, work hard and money will come.

If something stops being fun, ask Why? If you can’t fix it, stop doing it, 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.

If you have to work for a boss at job you don’t like, as almost everyone does at some point, don’t moan about it. Have a positive out-look on life and just get on with it. Work hard and earn your pay. Enjoy the people you come into contact with through your job. And if you are still unhappy, make it instead your goal to divide your private life from your work life. Have fun in your own time, you will fee happier and you will enjoy your life and your job more.

Keep your eyes open. Look and learn. Be Bold. Keep your word.

My parents have always drummed me into that all we have in life is our good name. You could be rich, but if people don’t trust you, it counts for nothing. Make it a priority not to break the law. Your reputation is everything. In business, be fair in all your dealings. Don’t cheat- but aim to win. This rule should extend to your private life. Rule in life- Never do anything if it means you can’t sleep at night. It is a good rule to follow.

If possible try to contribute to the world, even if in a small way. Make a difference and help others. Do no harm. Always think what you can do to help.

Whatever we want to be, whatever we want to do, we can do it. Go ahead, take the first step- Just do it.