My parents brought me up with this philosophy. You must do things. You mustn't watch what other people are doing. You must not listen to what other people are doing.

All you have in life is your reputation: you may be very rich, but if you lose your good name, then you'll never be happy. The thought will always lurk at the back of your mind that people don't trust you.

It can be a challenge not to let failure, or negativity from others, prevent you from going after what you believe in and what in your gut you know can work. However it is important to face these challenges head on and give them a go and importantly don't beat yourself up if you fail - just pick yourself up, learn as much as you can from the experience and get on with the next challenge.

Entrepreneurial business favours the open mind. It favours people whose optimism drives them to prepare for many possible futures, pretty much purely for the joy of doing so.

I have had fun running all of the Virgin businesses, so I never see a setback as a bad experience; it is just a learning curve.

I prefer to have a great time and to keep my wits about me.

I doubt that I would have been successful in my career and happy in my personal life if I hadn't prioritized health and fitness. Staying active ensures mental preparedness and the courage to try new things. It helped me to stay focused on work but also to have fun and try new approaches and explore new places. That's the spirit behind Virgin Sport - we wanted to introduce fitness activities that are enjoyable, accessible and part of your overall lifestyle.