Maybe 2023 Wasn’t Your Year, But You Made It

“Maybe two thousand and twenty-three wasn’t your year.

Maybe you never lost that last fifteen pounds.
Maybe you never paid off that credit card debt.
Maybe you never got out of that terrible relationship.
Maybe you never took control of your health concerns.
Maybe you never got that dream job you were going for.
Maybe you never organized your linen closet. Or your life.

Maybe you never broke a sweat daily. Opened a book daily. Drank enough water daily. Watched your spending daily. Or consumed a green smoothie daily.

Maybe two thousand and twenty-three will not go down as the year that will be remembered forever. Maybe there is no list of accomplishments, shelf of trophies, or fancy banners being waved your way as you exit this year, and walk into the next.

But maybe, just maybe,
You can give yourself a moment of grace.

Maybe, just maybe,
You can pat yourself on the back. Look at yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself you made it.

Maybe, just maybe,
You can recognize that if you have accomplished nothing more than living three hundred and sixty five days this year, that’s okay. Completely okay.

Because accomplishing those three hundred and sixty five days is a honor (and a feat) in itself.

So kudos to you. I mean that.

I am clapping. And cheering.
For you have accomplished something so big, that so many who are watching us from the box seats in the house could only wish they have.

You are living.
You are walking.
You are breathing.
You are talking.

And the fact that you have made it this far (both in this year, and in reading this story), well, that tells me a lot about you.

That you are resilient.
That you are motivated.
That you are determined.
(That you don’t mind reading longwinded stories like this.)

So, no. While those few extra pounds may be still hanging on (and hanging out), and while that dream job of yours may still feel far off.

You are here. Right here.
At the end of two thousand and twenty-three.
About to go into not just a new year, but a new decade.

With a whole new opportunity to live a whole new three hundred and sixty five days.

So say goodbye to a year that you have conquered.
Maybe not in the ways you had hoped so.
Yet in all of the ways you were meant to.

And remember this moment.
This moment right here.
On the last few days of December,
Two thousand and twenty-three.

And allow that to propel you towards two thousand and twenty-four.

Think about how you want to feel going into next year.
And start doing the things that will help you get there.

For it’s never too late for a new beginning, a refresh, or a restart.

And bless that, my friends.

Because that means even ten-year-old baby weight stands a chance.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Heather Delaney of Love Always, Heather. You can follow her journey on Instagram. Submit your own story here.