Say YES to life

I’ve always tried to live by the mantra: “The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.”

It’s a reminder that while fear keeps us safe, it can also keep us small. Life doesn’t reward hesitation; it rewards those willing to take the leap, even when the outcome is uncertain.

Fear is something we all share. But if there’s one lesson I’ve learned - whether dangling from a hot air balloon basket, steering a speedboat across the Atlantic, or starting a record shop with little more than a dream - it’s that life gets infinitely more interesting the moment we choose to say yes.

Image from Virgin.com

When I first set out to break the world record for the fastest Atlantic crossing in a speedboat, everyone told me I was foolish. They weren’t entirely wrong. We capsized in 1985, and for a moment, as icy water engulfed us, it felt like the adventure might end there. But the very next year, we tried again… and we made it. That crossing wasn’t about speed; it was about proving that fear doesn’t have the final word.

The same principle applied when we launched Virgin Atlantic. At the time, people thought it was madness to take on the airline giants. The safe bet would have been to stick with music. But if I’d listened to fear, thousands of people would have missed out on a better way to fly, and I’d have missed out on one of the most rewarding chapters of my life.

Virgin Atlantic

Research from Virgin Red suggests nearly a third of people can’t remember the last time they did something spontaneous. Meanwhile nearly a quarter of people believe they would feel more fulfilled if they started saying ‘yes’ more. I couldn’t agree more.

Today, Virgin spans everything from cruise ships to hotels to health clubs to space travel. None of it would exist without a willingness to stare fear in the face and smile back. The world doesn’t need more dreamers who never act. It needs doers who say yes, even when their stomachs are in knots.

That’s why at Virgin, we’re looking for someone rather special: a Head of Yes. Instead, it’s an invitation to step out of your comfort zone and into adventure. The person who gets the creator contract will spend their time trying out Virgin experiences, from leaping out of planes to sailing the seas, and sharing what it feels like to embrace life wholeheartedly.

To anyone reading this who feels fear holding them back, I’d say this: fear is normal. I’ve felt it dangling off the side of buildings, climbing mountains, even in boardrooms. But courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the decision to say yes anyway.

The next time fear tells you no, try answering with yes. Say yes to the challenge, yes to the opportunity, yes to the dream. Because on the other side of that yes, life is waiting to surprise you. And who knows? You might just break a record, launch a business, or land the best gig in the world… our Head of Yes.

If you want to enter, head over to Virgin Red’s TikTok to tell us about a time you’ve said yes and what happened.

Life is all about the story, what’s yours going to be?