Change is one of the most difficult aspects of life.

My friend Tyree Bell, a Bothell resident whom I’ve known since our high school days in Belfair in 1998, weighed 410 pounds in November of 2015. On Thanksgiving Day 2015, Bell decided right then and there he was going to get healthy by working out every single day.

A little more than three years later, Bell reached the proverbial mountaintop with regard to his professional life.

Bell, who now weighs around 265 pounds, graduated from the Law Enforcement Police Academy on March 6. Bell, who finished No. 1 out of 29 classmates in his class, is now a city of Everett police officer. Bell always wanted to become a police officer. Through his hard work and dogged work ethic, that dream has officially became a reality. Attending his graduation ceremony in Burien in March was something I wasn’t going to miss for the world. Seeing one of my best friends achieve one of his most sought after aspirations was an emotional experience. Bell has worked out nearly every single day for the past 40 months. During an interview with Bell in the summer of 2016, he reflected on his mindset pertaining to his physical fitness journey.

“It is difficult. Some days I don’t want to work out, some days I’m exhausted, some days I’m tired, some days I’m sick but realize I want it more than I have ever wanted it before,” Bell said of attaining optimum health. “I want to be healthy and I want to be around for a while. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices and do things you don’t want to do. My foundation is working out so I have to keep that going. I just don’t want to go backwards. It keeps me motivated to keep pushing forward and just get better each day.”

Bell never stopped moving forward and now is enjoying the fruit of his labor. He has a new career, a healthy body and a renewed zest for life. I couldn’t be prouder of him!