What I learned from Sir Richard Branson last year

In May last year, I spent some time on Necker Island with Sir Richard Branson, which had been a dream of mine for over three decades.

I’ve always aspired to spend time with people who think more expansively than me, who’ve achieved more and who inspire me with who they are as human beings.

There were about 30 of us on the island and I was surrounded by an amazing group of innovators, business leaders and social entrepreneurs.  I learned a lot from all of them and I was fortunate to chat and play tennis and chess with Sir Richard.

I learnt A LOT from him, and I’m going to share one of those things with you today.

He has fun – EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY.

Whether that’s playing tennis, chess or horsing around, he loves to have fun. He has a history of doing some crazy April Fools’ jokes and stunts. Many years ago, he shared with us that he flew a ‘UFO’ over London. Unbeknownst to him, three police forces had been mobilised and the army had been alerted. The UFO sighting was also reported on by radio and TV stations.

He told us, 

“The police had surrounded us and watched the door of the UFO door open slowly. One lone policeman was sent with his truncheon across the field to greet the alien. I was dressed as an ET-type creature and walked down the platform towards the policeman with lots of dry ice billowing behind me.  The police threatened to arrest us for wasting their time, but they ended up joining in the fun and left with smiles on their faces.”

What can we learn from this? 

Many of us take ourselves and our professional lives far too seriously. We don’t have enough fun and we don’t prioritise it. Furthermore, there are certain things we ‘have to do’, that feel so uncomfortable that it doesn’t even occur to us that they can be fun.

Speaking is one of those things. Most people I speak to dread it more than anything else. Or they tolerate it. Or they do it but know they are not scintillating to listen to. Either way, it’s not FUN for them. I get it. I was one of them. But after decades of suffering and trying to find solution after solution, I found a way through and you may be suprised to learn that I now fully believe that we are all designed to enjoy it. 

And that begins with the way your mind works and thinks.