For as long as I can recall we have been told that successful people, regardless of their walk of life, set goals, and by implication unsuccessful people do not. I am not sure this is true.

All people have goals, humans are goal setting and attaining beings. For example when you woke up this morning, did you soon thereafter consider what you would be doing next? Planning your days usually involves setting a series of small goals, such as getting ready for work, planning a shopping trip or visit to the hairdresser. I think you get the point.

Our success and enjoyment of life tends in the main to be built on the creation of habits, such as brushing our teeth. Meeting and achieving bigger objectives can often be daunting, sometimes this is simply down to how we think about the objective in the first place, usually we establish an inappropriate timeframe not an overly large goal. To quote Bill Gates “most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years”.

Success in later life is inextricably linked to the quality of our health. A healthier life is usually a happier and more fulfilling life. Whilst there are four key ingredients to a healthier life ( Diet, Exercise, Mindset and Sleep), exercise has to date (science will not doubt prove otherwise in due course) been show to have the best and biggest impact on the quality of our life and therefore health. But how to start, how to develop the right habits?

Pardon the pun but the answer is one step at a time. A great way to do this is with the Couch to 5K app created by Josh Clark. The program is simple, achievable regardless of your current level of fitness. There are a variety of apps available. I first came across it on the BBC website where they have partnered with the NHS. The app is available on both Apple and Android devices.

Building small daily habits is a great way to enjoy the moment and help your future self.