How I Lost My Virginity!

Yesterday I posted  a topic on Richards Branson's 4 Rules for making difficult decisions see HERE, and to my surprise, it got so many reads that exceeded my expectation. I also got quite some mails via my inbox than I anticipated. If you follow my blog and have a look at the popular posts, you will understand, why I used the word 'SUPRISE'. Hahaha. Anyways I cant blame anyone, the generation we find ourselves in unconsciously/subtly tilts us to be more interested in what feeds our eyes/senses. That said, one of my readers was so impressed and sent me a personal email, recommending me to read Losing My  Virginity. I read an excerpt, and I must say its quite a good read, its been termed a perennial bestseller,quite inspirational, a page turning memoir, and a definitive business guide. And when I checked, you can even download the E-version for free on some sites. Will let you find that out for yourself.):  I am definitely reading this. Feel free to share your thoughts if you have read this also.

(photocredit;www.virgin.com)

Richard Bransons 4 Rules For Making Difficult Decisions

Every successful man has a past and every hardworking/struggling man has a future. So do not look at the now I say, imagine the bigger picture. I love to listen to some successful people, and when I do, what I watch out for is their perception and approach to challenging situations they have been in. Richard Branson was in the press recently due to the Virgins galactic's SpaceShiptwo Crash. I watched him give his speech and I must say, I loved his response style as well as composure. I also came across this article, and as I read it, it made me smile because I vividly remember this was a big debate between a couple of friends and I, as we discussed Strategic Planning. The simplicity in his words, can be used in our every day life and will really prove invaluable. I really enjoyed reading and reflecting. Hope you get inspired too

(photocredit; veryimportantpotheads.com).                 

 In the summer of 2012, the British government informed Virgin Trains that it had lost the bid to retain the operating rights to the UK's West Coast rail franchise. Virgin Trains had been running the 7-billion-pound ($10.9 billion) franchise for 15 years, expanding the line and growing its annual passenger numbers from 13 million to 30 million.

Richard Branson, chair of Virgin Train's parent company the Virgin Group, writes in his book "The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership" that he was "stunned and baffled" that he could have lost the bid to FirstGroup.

He decided to stay quiet for awhile, meeting with lawyers and advisors to see if Virgin had actually been beaten fairly. Everyone he spoke with seemed to conclude that FirstGroup's numbers were unsustainable, meaning the British government had made a mistake in calculations. Regardless, many of his senior team told Branson that he'd only be wasting his time and hurting his image with a lawsuit. But, after carefully weighing the facts, he decided to move forward with the lawsuit.

A week before he was scheduled to meet the Department for Transport in the UK's high court, Branson got a phone call from the department's secretary. The secretary told him that on further review, the department had indeed made grave miscalculations and Virgin had offered the better deal.

Branson considers his decision to sue the government, which ultimately saved his rail business, to be one of the best high-stakes decisions he's ever made. In his book he highlights four rules that he's used to make tough decisions throughout his business career:

1. Don't act on an emotional response.

Branson says he was flabbergasted when he first heard that the Virgin Trains deal had not gone through, but he was experienced enough to know that he should take some time to settle down and collect data instead of letting his feelings take control of him.

Had he made a statement to the press out of frustration or demanded to sue the British government solely out of instinct rather than fact, he would have increased the likelihood of having his case dismissed and appearing reckless.

It's just as bad to act on a positive emotion. Give decisions you're considering enough time to lose the influence of your first impressions.

2. Find as many downsides to an idea as possible.

Branson carefully considers everything that could go wrong before he goes forward with a decision.

Regarding the rail case, Branson's lawyers initially told him he had a 10% chance of winning a case against the government. But after collecting proof that some numbers in his competitor's deals were off, he was convinced he had truth and customer support on his side.

"Nothing is perfect, so work hard at uncovering whatever hidden warts the thing might have and by removing them you'll only make it better still," he writes.

3. Look at the big picture.

Before he makes a decision, Branson takes a look at how it will affect his other projects in both the short and long term.

"This one may be a 'too good to miss' opportunity but how will it affect other projects or priorities and, if now is not the best time to do it, what risks if any are there in putting the thing on hold for an agreed period of time? If you cannot manage this project in addition to another that's waiting in the wings, which one gets the nod and why?" he writes.

Branson writes that one of the best examples of ignoring the bigger picture is when Carnival Corporation's chairman and CEO Mickey Arison decided to go to a Miami Heat basketball game on the same day that one of his company's cruise ships sank off the coast of an Italian island in 2012, killing 32 and injuring many others.

Branson says Arison further tarnished Carnival's and his own reputation when he behaved similarly less than a year later when a ship ran out of fuel and left its passengers five days at sea without running water or power.

4. Protect the downside.

In a LinkedIn blog post from earlier this year, Branson writes that the best lesson his father ever taught him was to protect the downside; that is, limit possible losses before moving forward with a new business venture.

Branson's father told him that he would allow him, at age 15, to leave high school and start Student magazine only if he sold 4,000 pounds' worth of advertising to cover printing and paper costs.

It's a strategy he repeated in 1984 when he made a huge leap from the music business into the airline business with Virgin Atlantic. He was only able to convince his business partners at Virgin Records to agree to the deal after he got Boeing to agree to take back Virgin's one 747 jet after a year if the business wasn't operating as planned.

(http://www.businessinsider.com/how-richard-branson-makes-decisions-)

Song Of The Day!

Thoughts Of The Day.....

(photocredit;baghdadinvest.com)

"MOST TIMES WE FAIL TO REACH OUR 

DESIRED DESTINATIONS, NOT BECAUSE OF

 

INSURMOUNTABLE BARRIERS, BUT BECAUSE

 WE ARE WORN OUT WITH TRYING TO CARRY

 MORE THAN WE NEED FOR THE JOURNEY"......(UCB)

Begin Again!

If  you read this blog constantly, you will realise some excerpts come from United Christian Broadcasters. They are my favourite, daily devotional and I just love their style of sharing the word, relating it to everyday life and trust me its really spirit breathed upon and has immense power to change. On most days, it seems like the topics are just designed in such a way that my situation was preempted. Anyways that is the word of God, its always beautiful for situation. Looking for a devotional to read, or a charity to bless? Then check them out on www.ucb.co.uk. Hope you are blessed from this excerpt from them below! Have a fulfilled week.



The Lord is my portion…therefore I hope in Him.’

Lamentations 3:24

When you haven’t accomplished what you’d hoped for, regret can become a major pastime. The computer analyst wishes he’d become an accountant, the accountant wishes he’d become a doctor, etc. Maybe you planned to leave a legacy, but to date all you’ve left is a trail of unfilled aspirations. It’s not too late; you can begin again! You just have to be prepared to pursue your dream and pay the price. ‘To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best’ (1 Corinthians 9:25 TLB). Don’t listen to the critics and complainers who’ve settled for less. Your goal shouldn’t just be to live long, but to make a difference in your world and glorify God. Charles Lindbergh said, ‘I feel I lived on a higher plain than the sceptics on the ground…Who valued life more highly, the aviators who spent it on the art they loved, or these misers who doled it out like pennies through their antlike days?…If I could fly for ten years before I was killed in a crash, it would be a worthwhile trade for an ordinary lifetime.’ Look at Moses. Look at Paul. They both began again. Look at Winston Churchill: instead of retiring after World War II, he went on to win the Nobel Prize in literature. When Heinrich Schliemann retired from business to look for Homer’s legendary city of Troy—he found it. Here’s a Scripture you can stand on: ‘Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassion's fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion…therefore I hope in Him!’ (Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJV). That means you can begin again.

Word For Today......

(photocredit; stock credit)

And as the storm raged, Jesus was fast asleep on the boat while the disciples trembled.......

The presence of the storm, is not an indication of the absence of God, but a reminder to us, of the possibility of the storm and the need to increase our faith in God....

Song Of The Week......

I am so loving this song, my selection of songs is really hand picked if you ask me hahaha. But I have been so blessed by this, since the past week and just had to share. Enjoy people! Maureen Clark, It Aint Over....