By David Tepera, January 3, 2024

I was sitting in my home office this past week reflecting on the topic for this week’s article. Since we are starting a new year, that means one chapter closes while another begins. I was looking back through the year for my list of accomplishments. I don’t care about setbacks or challenges, I only want to focus on the positives.

Our home office is a unique room with Tina’s and my matching desks and chairs, along with displays of all our athletic trophies, medals, educational degrees and many other framed accomplishments to remind us of our experiences in life.

What hit me as I wandered around the room mentally searching for the accomplishments of 2023 was that all those other hard-working displays in our office don’t mean anything unless they made us better people.

So, for Tina, our son Dylan and me, our biggest accomplishments for 2023 were changing the lives of everyone who walked into our gym; 2023 was not about us or winning trophies, but about anyone we could reach and teach.

Let me also give a shout-out to Claudia and Amy, who are personal trainers at our gym. They are like family and have the same passion for changing lives.

Now, that’s enough about us because this is about you. What personal accomplishments did you obtain in 2023? This could be financial, educational, relationships or even health-related.

I know many people whose energy was spent battling chronic health conditions all year. This might be you as well. Don’t ever throw in the towel. Your biggest accomplishment is fighting for your health because you have more life in front of you. Believe me, you’re someone’s hero, so keep kicking and punching through the battles.

Remember, it doesn’t matter what bad news or obstacles you encounter, it’s how you respond that reflects your character. For all of us, at some point, life is going to come around and knock us down, but so what? Put your helmet on and take control of the situation. This is one of the biggest accomplishments you will overcome.

Now, what’s on your list of 2023 personal accomplishments? Are you healthier, kinder and more passionate? Did you get rid of the negative people, hateful commentary, dividing social media or any other ridiculous posts?

Listen, no matter what happened in 2023, your next set of goals is to not only change your life, but to make others’ better. The best feeling to have comes from giving, not from receiving. This is your year, just open your heart.