OVER the years I have met, become friends with and learned from many successful people from various walks of life.

I say learned from them because I have studied these successful people to try to figure out what it is that has driven them to the top of their chosen fields.

Sports stars such as boxing champions Tyson Fury, Hosea Burton and Hughie Fury have all worked their way up from the bottom to the top to become British champions and in Tyson’s case World champion.

Cricket star Freddie Flintoff who worked his way up to play successfully for his country before making the switch over to the world of acting and presenting where he has now become a top TV personality hosting, amongst other things, Top Gear.

Those I have interviewed for this column, Ian McShane who worked his way up to national fame with Lovejoy and then Hollywood fame with the John Wick films and the TV series Deadwood and American Gods.

Sally Dynevor and Jimmi Harkishin both having long successful careers on Coronation Street, Jimmi just celebrating his twentieth year on the soap.

Karl Pilkington, rising from his radio days to national television star with shows such as An Idiot Abroad.

I once spent a day working with comedians Tom O’Connor and Mick Miller, two extremely funny gentlemen who rose to the top of the comedy circuit to become household names.

The thing I was looking for in all these people was the thing that made them all successful. Obviously talent is a necessity but as far as I have learned, there is one trait that they all have in common, no matter what career path or ambitions they have set for themselves and that secret ingredient that they all share is... perseverance!

From day one they set their goals and worked their way towards it. They never gave up, they got knocked down but instantly got back up again and back on track towards their dreams.

Talking to, and more importantly listening to these people I’ve learned that anything is possible if you first set a clear goal and then work towards it. If you give up at the first hurdle then you’re never going to get there. So persevere and see things through is the lesson I’ve learned from them all. Quitters never win and winners never quit really is a true statement. If you persevere through every obstacle and setback and keep heading towards your goal with solid perseverance, you will get there!

All the great things we have here in our borough first started out with someone having an idea or a goal to have them here and then through perseverance that goal became a reality.

I wish you all well with your own personal goals and ambitions, no matter how big or small they may be, and I hope you all have the perseverance to see them through and make them into reality.

See you all next week!