Go to hell and do it. "To hell with all of it! Take it and do it! Full Version Richard Branson. Why we decided to publish this book

Richard Branson

To hell with all of it! Take it and do it!

To live is to try new things

Preface to the Russian edition

Sir Richard Branson is a unique individual. Man-brand, man-show. It is hard to even imagine that he is not a Hollywood actor or an avant-garde artist, but the owner of one of the world's largest private companies, a billionaire, one of the most famous people UK and around the world.

He never sat still. Starting from the moment when he heroically learned to swim at the age of five, Richard continued to set himself more and more new tasks, to try himself and the world. First, Branson published a student newspaper. Then he opened a store selling music discs and a recording studio. Then there were trains and planes, vodka, cola, Wedding Dresses and dozens of other businesses, all under the Virgin brand. He conquered the stratosphere in a hot air balloon. Crossed the Atlantic and the English Channel. He took off using a shoulder pack with a jet engine, dressed in a woman's wedding dress, a spacesuit, threw famous people into the pool ... And now I decided to write another book, and even with such a provocative title!

Someone will say: "A person does not sit still." I dare to object: not to sit still means to live normal, interesting life. Many, if not the majority, constantly live with an eye to those around them. Most of all, it is important for them what parents, relatives, colleagues, bosses, society will think. They strive for stability, never to make mistakes, not to be a target for ridicule. Life passes, and the once desired stability turns into a routine, from which you no longer want to live! As if there are people who always and immediately get everything right. As if in a world ruled by the law of entropy, any kind of stability is possible at all! Maybe there are a couple of such ideal beings in the world, but Branson is definitely not one of them. He'd been wrong enough, but he hadn't lost any of his desire to keep trying new things—and to make more mistakes.

Branson's credo is to take everything from life. It means not being afraid to try to do what you want. It does not matter at all whether you have enough knowledge, experience or education. If you have a head on your shoulders and enough enthusiasm in your heart, any goal will be possible. Hindered by lack of education? To hell with everything - take it and do it! Spielberg and Gates reached the top without any diploma, and, as you know, Dostoevsky did not have a writer's certificate! No experience? To hell with it, skills come with time! Is this your first time doing this kind of problem? To hell with doubts: there is a chance to catch up in ingenuity with the great inventors! Never worked in this area? So what? The plane, for example, was invented by bicycle masters!

Not all wheels have been invented yet: the world is too amazing to sit back! If you like something, do it. If you don't like it, don't hesitate. Life is too short to waste it on things that don't bring you pleasure.

However, Branson is not an individualist. He does not exalt himself, does not look for a “weak link” in anyone, and does not advise others to do this. Branson understands that success cannot be achieved alone, you need to work together as a team. And he educates his employees - and with them the society - in the spirit of freedom, entrepreneurship and respect for the individual.

Branson's value - if one can say so, of course - is not that he made a fortune and, to the envy of all marketers, created a unique multi-brand Virgin. With all his actions, Branson wants to show that the times of great discoveries have not yet passed - and how can they pass if what is worth looking for is hidden first of all in each of us? Maybe it's not without reason that among the people the British could trust to rewrite new way ten Christian commandments, was the name of Richard Branson. Apparently, many of our contemporaries like his rebellious spirit.

This book is a manifesto of action, life, risk. She cannot leave the reader indifferent. This is an attempt to show that perhaps the only obstacle to the realization of our desires is ourselves. We hold on to conventions and rules, ideas about what is right and what is wrong. Primitive man sat in a cave, afraid of wild animals. Where would our civilization be if not for the heroes who came out of the cave and tamed wild animals?

I am very pleased that this book can be read in Russian. It is very likely that our people lack the constructive recklessness and cheerful enthusiasm that Branson writes about. I hope that the optimistic spirit of the original, which has been preserved in Mikhail Vershovsky's excellent translation, will kindle in readers the desire to change their lives, to let more light and joy into it - in spite of all conventions and prohibitions. After all, isn’t this what the Russian proverb says: “To be afraid of wolves is not to go into the forest”? And what, forever she will remain only a proverb?

Sergei Turko,

Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Alpina Business Books Publishing House

Introduction

The press calls me and my partners at Virgin "hooligans in paradise." Undeniably, we tend to do almost everything not as boring as the rest - in the end, this allowed me to become the owner of a couple of tropical islands where I can have fun - so the press is probably right. And for me this is a healthy approach. I work from the heart and have fun from the heart.

Although I never followed the rules every step of the way, I did manage to learn a few things along the way. My life lessons began at home, at a very young age. They continued in school and in business when I published a magazine as a teenager. student. I'm still learning and I want to believe that this will never end. These lessons have given me a lot of useful things in life. I have described them and I hope you can find something in these pages that will inspire you too.

I believe in goals. Dreaming is never bad, but I have a practical approach to this matter, I do not sit immersed in dreams of the impossible. I set goals for myself and then think about how to achieve them. In school, I struggled with reading and writing. In those days, no one had heard of dyslexia, and therefore my teachers were convinced that I was just lazy, and then I learned to memorize everything. Now I have a very good memory and it has become one of the main tools in my business.

When I first started, everything was much more reliable than it is today. There were no problems with choosing a profession - often you just continued the work of your father. Most of the mothers were at home. Today, you can’t be sure of anything, and life has become a never-ending struggle. People, if they want to achieve something, have to make a choice. And the most main lesson which I have learned - take it and do it. No matter what it is, no matter how difficult it seems. As said ancient greek Plato: "The beginning is the most important part of any work."

Preface to the Russian edition

Sir Richard Branson is a unique individual. Man-brand, man-show. It is even hard to imagine that he is not a Hollywood actor or an avant-garde artist, but the owner of one of the world's largest private companies, a billionaire, one of the most famous people in the UK and around the world.

He never sat still. Starting from the moment when he heroically learned to swim at the age of five, Richard continued to set himself more and more new tasks, to test himself and the world around him for strength. First, Branson published a student newspaper. Then he opened a store selling music discs and a recording studio. Then there were trains and planes, vodka, cola, wedding dresses and dozens of other businesses, all under the Virgin brand. He conquered the stratosphere in a hot air balloon. Crossed the Atlantic and the English Channel. He took off using a shoulder pack with a jet engine, dressed in a woman's wedding dress, a spacesuit, threw famous people into the pool ... And now I decided to write another book, and even with such a provocative title!

Someone will say: "A person does not sit still." I dare to object: not to sit still means to live a normal, interesting life. Many, if not the majority, constantly live with an eye on those around them. Most of all, it is important for them what parents, relatives, colleagues, bosses, society will think. They strive for stability, never to make mistakes, not to be a target for ridicule. Life passes, and the once desired stability turns into a routine, from which you no longer want to live! As if there are people who always and immediately get everything right. As if in a world ruled by the law of entropy, any kind of stability is possible at all! Maybe there are a couple of such ideal beings in the world, but Branson is definitely not one of them. He'd been wrong enough, but he hadn't lost any of the desire to keep trying new things—and to make more mistakes.

Branson's value - if one can say so, of course - is not that he made a fortune and, to the envy of all marketers, created a unique multi-brand Virgin. With all his actions, Branson wants to show that the days of great discoveries have not yet passed - and how can they pass if what is worth looking for is hidden first of all in each of us? Perhaps not without reason, among the people whom the British could entrust to rewrite the ten Christian commandments in a new way, was the name of Richard Branson.

Richard Branson

To hell with all of it! Take it and do it! Full version

Richard Branson

SCREW IT, LET'S DO IT. EXPANDED

Lessons in the Life and Business

Published with permission from Virgin Books and Synopsys Literary Agency

First published in 2007 by Virgin Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing. A Random House Group Company

The right of Sir Richard Branson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Legal support of the publishing house is provided by the law firm "Vegas-Lex"

Foreword

For the first time, I was asked to write “To hell with everything! Take it and do it! For world day books in 2006. The idea was to offer people something that would encourage them to turn to books - would encourage them to read.

The first edition of my little book was such a success that I could not even dream of. It sold well around the world, becoming the top seller in South Africa and entering the Australian bestseller list. I was overjoyed at the reader's enthusiasm it aroused. Most different people wrote to me about how the book had encouraged and inspired them. It became clear to me that the book interested not only novice readers, for whom, in fact, it was written, but also a much wider circle of people.

A year later, I was asked if I would agree to write a revised and expanded version of the book, intended for a wider readership. In this new version"To hell with all of it! Take it and do it! you will find those life lessons, which I have already talked about, as well as new stories aimed at our future with you.

Though I never followed the rules during my life path learned many lessons. It started as a child and continued through school and then into business when I started publishing Student magazine as a teenager. I am still learning and I want to believe that this will always be the case. The lessons gave me a lot of useful things in life. I hope you find something on these pages that will inspire you too.

The press calls me and my partners at Virgin "hooligans in paradise" - probably because I have two truly paradise tropical islands: in the Caribbean and off the northern coast of Australia. Undeniably, we tend to do almost everything in a less tedious way than others - and for me this is a healthy approach. I work from the heart and have fun from the heart. I believe in goals. Dreaming is never bad, but I have a practical approach to this matter. I do not sit immersed in dreams of the impossible. I set goals for myself and then think about how to achieve them. Everything I do in life, I try to do it right, and not carelessly. In school, I struggled with reading and writing. In those days, no one knew about dyslexia, and my teachers were convinced that I was just lazy. And then I learned to remember everything by heart. Now I have a very good memory and it has become one of the main tools in my business.

We've come a long way since I started Virgin in 1967. We started small and climbed to the top. The pace at which we have expanded our activities in the most various areas- soft drinks, wines, wedding dresses, Cell phones, books, comics, animation, credit cards, planes, trains and even space flights, - sometimes it seems incredible, as if too challenging tasks does not exist for us. Virgin really took my slogan “To hell with everything! Take it and do it! – and it gives me great joy to see the enthusiasm and energy with which the people who work with me are overwhelmed. And I see how it works when we take the next new idea and put it into practice.

But we have already entered the new millennium. The old notions that industrialization rules the roost and those who lag behind are doomed have changed. With huge breakthroughs in science and our understanding of how the Earth and the Universe function, we have begun to realize that literally everything is interconnected. Nothing exists in isolation and does not work by itself. Every action, every deed has its consequences. That's why I believe it's important for us to know how Virgin will operate in the twenty-first century.

At the global level, the actions of people, companies and industries have an immediate – and often lasting – impact on the entire world. If humanity makes a mistake, it can be catastrophic. On a more personal level, I'm concerned about the fate of Virgin, a company that employs more than fifty thousand people. Their livelihoods will be at stake if we don't excel at everything we do. And of course, as a businessman, I want to be successful. Often, a cheaper method of production seems more attractive. But one of my main rules is: do no harm.

I think that along with my responsibility as president of one of the most successful and vibrant companies in the world, I also have the responsibility to try to do my best and do no harm. I took to heart the truth that everything we do affects something, someone, somewhere in one way or another.

For many years I have been attracted to the Gaia theory, a hypothesis formulated by James Lovelock almost forty years ago. According to this hypothesis, the Earth is a living being, like a cell, and as a single cell, it contains everything that is necessary for its existence. Moreover, Professor Lovelock believes that our planet can heal itself if necessary. But even for Gaia, there is a "point of no return" beyond which the damage done becomes irreversible. Ecological scientists warned us that the pace of industrial development and the clearing of vast tracts of tropical forests led to such an increase in the content carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that we have entered a cycle of global warming, which, in turn, could lead to the extinction of most life forms on our planet. And it's going right Now. If we want to survive, we must first think about environment.

And I, as a capitalist, ask myself a harsh and tough question: am I causing harm? Careful research has shown that there are ways to be a capitalist and still follow my chosen environmental philosophy. By looking for ways and means to enable Virgin to develop new CO2-reducing fuels, we could help stop global warming. We could also make our group of companies environmentally friendly. I perceive Gaia-capitalism as a principle, a slogan and a path to the future.

I realized that the work of industry and entrepreneurship at the global level may not be negative factor. Of course, we all want to use refrigerators, drive cars and trains, fly airplanes, that is, live a normal, fulfilling and fulfilling life. But at the same time, we must be aware of the extent to which our actions can damage the environment. I believe that it is big companies like Virgin that should be at the forefront of the fight for a holistic approach, one that allows us to create and manage successful businesses while maintaining the balance of nature and doing as little damage to nature as possible.

Virgin can do this because we are a private company. I don't believe in blindly following rules. I will change for the better what I can change, and perhaps I can serve as an example for others. And here I am inspired by the actions of many whole and outstanding people. In addition to James Lovelock, I draw inspiration from the ideas of my relative, Sir Peter Scott, who founded the World Wildlife Fund shortly before his death, Jonathon Porrit, one of the founders of the Forum for the Future (and the founder of the Greenpeace movement), Australian scientist Tim Flannery, who wrote in his groundbreaking book The Weathermakers, that we can positively influence the global climate, and Al Gore, for whom the need to convey to everyone and everyone the understanding that we are on the very edge ecological disaster, became the mission he embodied in the film and book An Inconvenient Truth.

My new goal in life is to fight to reduce carbon emissions. That's why, in the coming months and years, Virgin will be considering (and possibly proposing) new scientific developments that would contribute to a more organic and holistic approach to business. The future cannot but be captured. It is likely that we are on the verge of a renaissance not only in lifestyle, but also in technology and entrepreneurship.

Name: To hell with all of it! Take it and do it!

Book release date: 2007

Pages average time to read: 195 pages/10 hours.

The main idea:

I always find more reasons to do something than not to. My slogan is: “To hell with everything! Take it and do it!

Which is better: to make mistakes from time to time or to live, shutting down tightly and missing all the opportunities one after another?

Theses and ideas:
Richard advises not to let the word "no" stop you. If you do not have the necessary knowledge or skills, look for other ways to solve the problem. Always learn and keep your eyes open.

You don't have to go to a design course to become a designer. Sometimes you can get a job as a cleaner in such a company. And then move up the career ladder.

Branson is sure that one of the most important skills is the ability to build relationships with other people.

Richard often challenged himself and others. Once he decided to fly in a huge balloon in the upper stratosphere from America to Europe. They flew in a special sealed capsule, not in a wicker basket. But the situation got out of control: the fuel ran out, and before entering the stratosphere, the ropes barely withstood the huge overloads and strong winds. But Branson kept himself in control: “What do I allow myself,” I thought, “surrender without a fight? As long as you're alive, you can do something, I told myself. “Something will happen.” And yet successfully completed the flight.

The author recalls how, as a child, he bet 10 shillings that he would learn to swim in the nearest river. He got out of the car and walked towards the river. Mother supported him with the words: “You can do it, Ricky!”. The river seemed deep and fast, but the boy jumped into the water. The current immediately carried him away and began to suffocate. But the child managed to relax and inhale the air. This made it possible to float. Sloppy, like a dog, but swim. It was one of his first victories. His mother continued to praise him: “You did well, Ricky! I knew you could."
Branson said: “My mother is one of those people for whom the word “impossible” does not exist. She is convinced that if a person really gets down to business, then nothing is impossible for him.

Richard Branson is a legendary British entrepreneur, one of the richest people on the planet, who founded the Virgin Corporation, which today unites almost 400 companies under its brand in various fields - from publishing and air travel to space and underwater tourism.

Branson is a bright, non-standard personality. His credo is to take everything from life. It means not being afraid to do what you want. It does not matter at all whether you have enough knowledge, experience or education. If you have a head on your shoulders and enough enthusiasm in your soul, any goal will be on the shoulder. Life is too short to waste it on things that don't bring you pleasure. If you like something, do it. If you don't like it, drop it without hesitation.

In an expanded version of his bestselling book, Branson offers "rules of life" to help everyone on the path to creativity, spiritual growth and self-expression. The book carries a huge charge of optimism, wisdom and faith in human capabilities.

Who is this book for?

For everyone who is looking for inspiration and wants to recharge with vitality, courage and optimism.

Why we decided to publish this book

Richard Branson is a super personality! The owner of a multi-million dollar corporation, a lover of extreme adventures, shocking the public with his extraordinary actions both in life and in business. Finally we managed to get the rights to publish his books!

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This is a book that is a real pleasure to read. She energizes and motivates.

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Preface to the Russian edition

Who is this book for?

Why we decided to publish this book

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