I am very ashamed of the fact that I am a very poor reader. Whilst I have friends and cousins who are very well read, I have oft struggled to finish a book. You can blame it on my hectic schedule or procrastination. But there are some books I do end up finishing in a quick time, if they are thin books. One of quick reads that I have just finished reading is called Screw It, Let’s Do It by Richard Branson (for the uninitiated, he is the founder and CEO of Virgin Group. The good thing about the book is that it is some 100-page odd and voracious readers would not take more than three hours finishing the book. I took a little longer because I always like to analyze more while reading such books, and I am a slow reader too.
In Screw It, Branson primarily narrates his own experiences, adventures and misadventures on earth and in the sky. It makes one hell of a read because you can’t help saying that the man is crazy, but every thing that he says is underlined with amazing sanity. You can draw various lessons from his experiences. The way the man values time, yearns for success, make things happen, and constructively uses his undying hunger for success. The last chapter of the book talks about his noble nature and charity and the satisfaction one can draw from it. You may just be drawn to tears while reading it, that is if you can relate to what he talks about.
Richard Branson says that he lives by a few basic fundamentals of life, such as : a) Being Bold b) Believing in yourself c) Challenging yourself d) Living every moment e)Valuing family and friends f) Doing good. You may have heard it many times, but all these values all supported with substantial examples. For example, Branson mentions in the book that at the age of 40 he suffered from mid-life crisis and he wanted to quite Virgin for some time and go back to the university and study history again! What a daring thought. It is very clear from the very beginning of the book that Branson was never interested in making money. His dream was to carry on. If he ever wanted to make money, he would not have risked his life twice doing world trips on hot air balloon. While reading the book, I could not help saying to myself: “The man will die someday doing such crazy adventures.”
Branson never went back to the university to pursue a graduation in history. In fact, life gave him an opportunity to do something good. It was 1990s and Iraq had just invaded Kuwait, and lots of Kuwaiti people had taken refuge in Jordan. Now it happened that the Jordanian Royal family considered Branson a friend. Also, at this time, there were a few British citizens who were taken hostages by Saddam Hussein. Branson got in touch with the King of Jordan, who was also a trusted friend of Saddam Hussein, and requested to pass on a letter to Saddam asking him to release the British hostages and he would in return provide him medical supplies and other things. The letter was passed, but Saddam asked a man of stature to come to Iraq and take the hostages. It can very well be inferred that it was a risky proposition and Iraq could have easily impounded Branson’s plane and thereby ruining his quest to rescue the hostages. Against all odds, Branson traveled to Iraq and got the hostages back. The audacity of the man deserves salutations! Thereafter, Branson also sent 40,000 blankets and medical supplies to refuges in Jordan in record time, which invited the ire of envious British Airways. The incident changed Branson’s life and he felt that he had done good!
All in all, reading Screw It, Let’s Do It was a hair-raising experience. Richard Branson is no ordinary man. He has arrogantly refused to look at things thru the frame of societal and moral norms, taken chances, made mistakes, and learnt quickly from them. Hats off to the man and his unassuming street-smartness!
