2009, without question, was the busiest, most disruptive year of my life to date.

On this day in 2008, I was doing my best to enjoy the holidays after I’d just finalized my decison to leave school. As liberating as that decision was, it came with one unexpected consequence.

I was scared shitless about the future.

Sure, I had no source of steady income and no health insurance and no concrete plans beyond “write and make software”, but these were known values of the equation.

The truly frightening thing was the possibility that I might put my work out in the world and it would be found wanting – that I would fail miserably.

What I was startled to find out over the course of the next year was that my early work being found wanting was not the logical equivalent of miserable failure. Instead, it followed necessarily from the decision to put work out in the world for others to see.

The only certain miserable failure would’ve been to continue in fear of putting it out there at all.

So, I’d like to give a huge thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped me and supported me throughout this year (even the ones I mostly only interact with on Twitter.) I couldn’t have made it through without you.

2009 was the year that I learned to take real chances. It was the year I finally realized that building simple, beautiful things makes me happy. It was the year I learned it’s okay to suck.

Here’s to a great 2010 (pronounced twenty-ten).

Author’s postcript: For about 30 seconds I almost-seriously considered quoting a bit from the theme song to The Greatest American Hero. If that would’ve amused you, you’re tops in my book. But, in the interest of wedgie-avoidance, I didn’t.