Richard Branson on Self-Motivation

Juz wanna share this interesting article which first appeared here (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219563)

Richard Branson on Self-Motivation
The celebrated entrepreneur shares advice on staying inspired while executing on new ideas.

Q: How do you maintain your motivation to generate new ideas and execute them? -- Gunita Migliniece, Latvia

A: My motivations have changed a lot over the past 40 years. In retrospect, it's clear this has been a long-term process, and I acquired new motivations over time.

I am not sure anyone could have predicted my career arc, except perhaps my parents. I was not a promising student, probably because of undiagnosed dyslexia. But my parents did not see my trouble learning as a limitation. Rather, they helped me find my strengths by teaching me to constantly look for new challenges. Achievements in sports and early business ventures such as a Christmas tree farm taught me to be inquisitive, and rely on persistence and creativity when problems came up.

I was partly driven by a desire to prove myself when I started Student magazine at 16. My friends and I wanted to give our generation a voice in the issues of the day, especially the Vietnam War.

We started the magazine because of our convictions, and we loved it. It didn't matter that we were working out of a basement in West London, with no financial backing. We just threw everything we had into the venture and secured advertisers and interviews. It was hard work, but also fun and exciting and, above all, a project we felt strongly about.

That sense of fun, enjoyment and purpose underpinned our expansion to selling records and then establishing record stores. Our next move, into the recording business, was no different. My love of music and concern for people behind that music ensured I was never short of motivation -- just sometimes short of cash!

The U.K.'s recession of the late 1970s coincided with a slowdown in our record sales and a lack of hits. We had created a close community at Virgin, and I wanted the people I worked with to enjoy their jobs. I was also deeply concerned about job security. We were running at a loss, and I had to decide whether to consolidate our stores and rein back the recording business, or follow my instincts and invest in new artists.

Hoping to expand our way out of financial problems, I bought two nightclubs and invested more money in our record business. Its managing director, Simon Draper, was a great talent, so I backed him to create the U.K.'s largest independent label.

Our resulting success in the music business saved the day. The strength of the brand meant that we looked beyond music for business opportunities, and my motivations broadened again. With our old and new businesses, we were developing a community of customers, so my goals now included Virgin's becoming one of the world's most respected brands.

The different motivations meant setting up businesses Virgin employees were passionate about, trying to shake up markets and win the trust of potential customers. We often succeeded as we targeted leading companies in sectors where we felt the customer was no longer well served. In quick succession we moved into airlines, trains, drinks, financial services, health clubs and hotels.

Over the past decade, my motivation has broadened to large-scale philanthropic endeavors. This led to the creation of Virgin Unite, which was instrumental in establishing The Elders, the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship and the Carbon War Room -- all exciting tools in the fight against poverty, illness and catastrophic climate change.

I am constantly challenging my team with new ideas, innovations or ventures I would like set up -- in double-quick time. My original inquisitiveness and desire to seek out new challenges also can be seen in our Virgin Galactic space adventure. Following the inauguration of the Spaceport runway in New Mexico in October, my dream of space tourism is getting closer. A big project for 2011 will be getting our underwater exploration business up and running. Drawing on the late Steve Fossett's work, we are keen to chart the deep-sea trenches.

You may wonder if such adventures are appropriate for a man my age -- 60 -- which brings me to my last motivational rule: "Screw it, let's do it!"

Juz saw this joke on fb:
"假如日本老板打了员工一巴掌，看各国员工的不同反应， 日本员工：头一点：“嗨！” 。美国员工：立刻叫来了自已的律师。 英国员工：微笑地报警 。俄罗斯员工：反手就给日本老板一巴掌 。中国员工：马上上网怒吼。。。"

Interesting Quotes:

‎"Do something new—or at least different—every day. Know that life is never stagnant, or stale, for each moment is ever-new and fresh." ~ Louise L. Hay. What have you done differently today?

"The most successful men in the world received their education in the real world, not the school system."

"If you don’t make a total commitment to whatever you’re doing, then you start
looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking. It’s tough enough
getting that boat to shore with everybody rowing, let alone when a guy stands
up and starts putting his life jacket on." ~ Lou Holz

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” ~ Francesca Reigler

"If you seek Supreme Enlightenment, Do not slight anyone.
The Lowest class may have Great Insights,
And the Highest class may commit Foolish Acts." ~ Dajian Huineng

"Gratitude is the open door to abundance..." ~ Katherine

"I experience the totality of possibilities within me. Are you willing to go beyond what you believe today?" ~ Louise L. Hay

"We are told to mind our thoughts but when dis-empowering emotions overwhelm us, they would impact our thoughts. Is it not more relevant then, to not only work on our emotional states but at the source of the emotional imprints? In fact, work with the creator of those imprints, your inner child & get him/her to let go of memories & clear up your energy field!" ~ Helen Lee

"When it comes down to it, I let them think what they want. If they care enough to bother with what I do, then I'm already better than them anyways."

"The hardest thing is letting go of an old idea. Without that old idea going away, there is no room for the new idea." ~ Robert Kiyosaki

“Coming together is a beginning.Keeping together is progress.Working together is success.” ~ Henry Ford

"Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment."

"人海蒙蒙找到你
天涯海角不放弃
只愿和你在一起"

"爱情这东西，时间很关键。认识得太早或太晚，都不行。"

Cutie ;p