8. Try turning off the TV and get out there and do things
My mum brought us up very much to get out there and do things, don't watch other people do things, and don't watch television. I think that was a good way of bringing up kids. With my own kids, we've spent quite a lot of time in the Caribbean and we never watch television there.
I think I am capable of switching off on Necker Island which is where we sort of pull up the drawbridge. But what I'm doing I see as so fascinating, so rewarding, so interesting that I don't ever really want to switch off too much because I find myself in such a wonderful, challenging position that I don't want to waste that position and there are just so many important challenges going on.
9. When people say bad things about you, just prove them wrong
There are people who hang onto the coat tails of successful people and try to sell a few books on the back of their name. It's unpleasant but you know that if you sue them or kick up a fuss, all it will do is publicist the book. So I've had to learn the art of ignoring people like that.
I think the best thing to do is just to prove them wrong in every single way. This particular book, (Branson: Behind the Mask by Tom Bower), says that our spaceship programmer is a white elephant, later this year we will prove them wrong.