The New Year is upon us and l hope you’re full of energy.  Focus on your goal ahead and try not to think about the amount of food and drink you consumed over Christmas.  It’s important to have direction, and to awaken your body with some solid exercise.

But there has to be a fire inside us that makes us want challenge ourselves or to excel.  This burning desire is in all of us, but for many of us we simply haven’t discovered it.  We are never too old or too young, and giving in is simply too easy to do.  Pushing yourself to go on and do the things you want to do, not have to do brings out the hero in us all.  Unleash the passion inside and get up earlier each day to do something positive. Inspire others by doing this, and others will do the same as you.

What makes a champion a champion? Quite simply the will and drive never to quit. When life becomes hard, you work harder, and never stop believing in yourself no matter what.  When you become successful in finding a new job, starting a business or falling in love and starting a relationship, always look back at the times when life was difficult. Why?  Because this is a reality check and it also measures how far you’ve come.

I often remember not being able to afford 10p to call my wife from the phone box to let her know l was at the station ready for her to collect me from Crystal Palace after studying to be a personal trainer. Instead, l used to let in ring three times and she would know it was me.

Now l train the most successful and the most influential people in the world.  You never give up.

Last year, l wanted to run the London marathon, so l entered and raised a lot of money for cancer.  But what l experienced most something special. The runners were young and old, some thin, some overweight. There were people from every different nationality of the world there, some super fit, some slow. I ran with professional runners, l ran with soldiers that had lost their lower limbs in Afghanistan, to others who were running for a family member. What became clear to me was that the London Marathon is much more than a race. It’s about personal challenge, it’s about running or walking for a reason. The people on the streets cheered with each stride l took, and at London Bridge l stopped and turned around. There were so many people hurting but yet they carried on. The people of London drive you on; it simply is a remarkable experience.

I realised when l finished the race and the guy waiting for me at the end with a medal  taps you on the shoulder and says great run, I realised that today l hadn’t just ran with all sorts of people, but today l had run with Champions each and every one of them.  It’s amazing what the power of the human spirit can do.

A winner never quits.