A boy who learnt swimming one summer..

My last flight from London to Singapore was spent reading a book written by an author I had never thought I would ever read. It was "Screw it, lets do it" by Richard Branson. I must confess I always thought this maverick CEO of Virgin Atlantic was a just another rich kid with a freedom to experiment with rich hobbies such as owning and selling Virgin Music, a hobby few of us can afford to have, and a hobby that won't necessarily make me any fond of the person.

But the reality, as I found from the pages that rushed past, was Richard Branson was born to a normal middle class family. What he inherited from his parents, especially his mom, was a strong sense of determination to win. Kid Branson, then 8 or 10 years old, went to his aunt's place one summer and his aunt offered him a rather interesting challenge - if Richard could learn swmming before going back home, he would earn 20 pounds sterling from his aunt. Richard tried and on the day the Bransons were ready to head back home, he still hadn't learnt how to float on his own. He was disheartened and sad.

But he still hadn't lost the hope to win, the burning desire to prove he could win, to tell his aunt he never gave up. On the way back in the car the kid saw a small pond and shouted to stop the car. The family stepped out of the car in amazement as the kid ran and threw himself in water. And behold, he was beginning to float on his own in the pond! They were still not home and hence the kid had won the bet. His aunt was happy to pass on the GBP 20 note to the young Branson.

Well, this story doesn't end here. Once while setting up his business Richard needed some cash and his dad didn't have that kind of money. He sent him to see his aunt though, and Richard's aunt lent him the required amount of money that ultimately led to the setting up of Virgin Music. Little did Richard know that his old aunt had put a mortgage on her home to arrange for the cash. Such was her faith in the determination of this young man.

Earning trust is tough, but earning this kind of faith from someone in your ability to win is remarkable. This guy somewhere inspires me in interesting ways.

I was playing badminton yesterday and losing a match 2-12. We had a formidable competition and I knew I couldn't win. But this story struck me and I decided to fight on. We lost 8-14, but I was glad we gave it a shot, we pulled ourselves together and said we won't go down without putting up a stiff challenge. More tomorrow, catch up!