Joe Wicks – the UK’s most famous fitness coach! The live PE sessions during the lock down for kids; the books; the YouTube channel; the public events; the TV appearances; the MBE!

Joe Wicks is good at what he does, he has energy and passion, he has fame and success. But for me the main thing is fortitude in the face of rejection and failure.

I remember him telling a story about standing outside a railway station in London handing out fliers for fitness boot camps in local parks; and no one turned up, not a single person! He was young, enthusiastic, hopeful, proactive, and pretty much trying to do what he does now!

So how did Joe Wicks become so successful? And here I have to look in from the outside, and as Roy Walker used to say on Catchphrase, “say what you see.”

Anyhow, I think there’s a good few elements that eventually made him succeed.

Firstly he learnt his craft. He worked hard. He sought to gain traction and break into his desired field. He never stopped in the face of (seeming) failure, remember failure is only failure when you don’t or won’t learn from it.

Next he had a simple desire – get people to move. Desire and strategy aren’t the same thing. You keep coming back to a genuine desire no matter what, but strategy changes with external circumstances. The execution of desire will adapt but the underlying desire won’t.

He also had bucket loads of fortitude. All that rejection and he didn’t quit! Over the years I’ve wanted to quit writing (and being creative) more times than I could name! I’m a literary outsider at best, and I don’t seem to fit into any group or grouping, this makes getting traction very hard, two steps forward then three steps back. Maybe I should quit – but the desire and passion for writing never goes away!

Then finally, a totally uncontrollable outside force transformed what he was already doing from one level to an unbelievable level! The lockdowns weren’t easy going, but one of the bright spots was Joe Wicks altruistic gift to families all over the world. People like me appreciated what he did and the positive impact he made to our lives.

Mr Wicks is such an inspiring guy on so many levels and there’s so much we can learn from him!