every ‘no’ you get today is just one less you’ll have to hear in the future. And it’s often a stepping stone to an eventual ‘yes’.

Excuses are terribly seductive. They promise an end to hard work, failure and embarrassment. It’s important, however, to recognise that most people’s excuses come from a deep-seated fear of failure.

I’ve always been keen to persuade people to get out of their comfort zone from time to time and challenge themselves. Because, really, how comfortable is a ‘comfort zone’ if it’s actually doing you a disservice?

But Oprah is right on message all the time. ‘There are no mistakes,’ she told Harvard graduates in an address in 2013. ‘There really aren’t any . . . There’s no such thing as failing really because it’s just life trying to move you in another direction. You get just as much from your losses as you do from your victories.’

If you want to change your life because you hate yourself, your habits, your body, your weight, your job, your lack of motivation, anything, it’s going to be an uphill battle, I can tell you that now. It’s always far harder to battle negativities than to forge positively forward. So if you reframe your ambitions in terms of wanting something better

Realise you have the power to let go of all those excuses, and seize back control of your life. Write down some of your favourite or most well-worn excuses on separate pieces of paper and then write on each why you don’t need it anymore. For instance, if one of them is that you don’t want to go to a gym because you think you’re too fat and you’ll l

So how do you build self-belief? For those who’ve been criticising themselves for a long time, it takes a bit of work to start turning that around. But it’s worth the effort. Have you ever noticed how some people who are not particularly talented or smart have so much confidence they just power through life, apparently without experiencing a moment

Why are you doing this? Why is this important to you? Have a deeper meaning, as this will help drive you. Be brave and don’t be afraid to back yourself, even if you are stretching your ability.

The important thing about all those actions is that you actually did something, and had a go. Now you know you’re capable of action, you can refine your actions to something that’s going to serve you much better.