“I’ve always been a dreamer. My mum taught me to never give up and to reach for the stars – advice I followed quite literally.” Sir Richard Branson
On Sunday, July 11, 2021, Sir Branson turned his dream into a reality. It took him 17 years of dedicated work from the people at Virgin Galactic, but they did it. He and the crew of VSS Unity flew to the very edge of space, experiencing four minutes of weightlessness, and then headed home, landing safely back on the mother planet.
Branson’s dream of reaching for the stars has come true. But what about yours? Are you ready to follow his trailblazing steps to try to realize that dream that is yours?
How do dreams come true:
Vision: Be Bold. Be curious. Branson believed in his heart that this challenge of reaching space could come true. And with that belief in hand, acted on it. With the vision in mind, he set realistic, challenging goals. Then, when those initial goals were met, he created new ones, goals even more challenging than the previous ones. The mentality of a visionary: Just do it.
Persistence: Virgin Galactic was formed 17 years ago. Since that time, there have been many ups and downs, successes and failures, but each action kept moving forward. The one thing that never happened: they never gave up.
Courage: The flight on that Sunday morning demonstrated numerous aspects of courage. The courage to dream big, have an outlandish vision. The courage to follow your heart by always moving forward, even when odds are telling you to stop. And the courage to expand the world for all. Space might be the new frontier for everyone.
Confidence: You must always keep the faith; faith in yourself, your process, your team, and your dream.
Attitude: A task of this magnitude, a journey that has taken 17 years and more, needs a person with extraordinary amounts of positive energy. No matter the moment, they stay focused on the positive possibilities of what is ahead. Watching Branson after the flight, you could see how much he enjoyed the ride (the flight literally and the journey getting there). He was having fun.
Believe in the Team: There is no way in heaven or on earth that this task could have been accomplished without the expertise and talents of a large group of extraordinary people. And Branson is the first to acknowledge that fact. “This has been an enormous and an incredible team effort, and I’m so grateful for everyone who has helped build this unique program.”
So, what’s your dream, your vision. Are you ready and willing to dedicate yourself, heart and soul, to see that dream come true? If you are, then there is no better time than now to get started.
“If you’ve ever had a dream, now is the time to make it come true.” Sir Richard Branson
