Finding My Virginity by Sir Richard Branson

My Rating: 9 / 10

It seems quite ironic (perhaps timely) that I only read Branson’s book “The Virgin Way” a few months ago and have now finished “Finding my Virginity”. While both books were excellent, they both have their respective approaches and themes. For example “The Virgin Way” is about how Branson runs his businesses and how to build a set of career fundamentals, “Finding My Virginity” differs in that Branson outlines a set of values to live by and he does this via the stories and experiences he has had over the many years.

I like the candidness and examples throughout the book. From topics such as family / business to strange encounters; for example a random lunch with Donald Trump is one such bizarre encounter which he recites in detail. I greatly benefited from reading to the countless examples of how Branson has lived his life. One cannot argue that Branson lives life to the full and there is a lot you can learn but listening to his stories, lesson learned and approach to life.

Three key takeaways from the book:

1. Richard Branson took the time to list out how many close shaves he has had during his life. The count is 75 as at the publication of the book. Talk about 9 lives eh?
2. If you don’t get a response from someone after an idea or pitch you make during a meeting then they probably disagree; they just haven’t said it. Seems quite an obvious thing but I’ve never really thought of it in that context.
3. Living life to your fullest is where it is at. No one seems to do it better than Richard Branson