I was on a blog the other day and saw a post called “Dear Scarlett 2006” and I thought it was a pretty cool way to reflect on the past. Since they say that imitation is the best form of flattery, I’m going to flatter Scarlett and totally steal her idea.

Dear January 1 ‘09 Nathan,

You don’t know it yet but 2009 will be, by far, the most up and down year of your life. So I wanted to tell you a couple things before life smacks you in the face in a few days.

Hold on loosely. Right now you have a firm grip on everything that seems important: money, house, job, etc. You might want to loosen that grip because if you don’t it will hurt more when you are forced to let them go. You don’t know it yet but these things aren’t that important anyway. Trust me, you’ll wish you had prepared yourself more for this.
30’s not such a big deal. Turning 26 was way more depressing. You’ll actually be healthier when you turn 30 than your were when you were 26, so that’s a bonus.
Twitter isn’t as dumb as you thought. You’ll actually get kind of addicted to it. Watch out for that.
Stop letting others define you. You work too hard to gain the approval of a few. You don’t have to fit a mold. You are you, there isn’t another. In your current situation there is a lot of emphasis of becoming a certain type of person/leader/etc. And it stresses you out. There’s a lot of value in growing as a leader but don’t let it change who you are inside. Let others correct things in you, but don’t ever let others change who you are at your core.
Do it. Whatever you’ve always wanted to do…do it! You have the ability and the instinct to chase down whatever is inside you. Otherwise, why would it be inside you? You can really be who you want to be, that’s not just a cliché they tell high school seniors to make sure they go to college. Oh, and that college thing might not have been all that necessary either…turns out you can check out a lot of books at a library, who knew?
Stop watching sports. You’ll save a ton of time, emotional strife and DVR space by not caring so much. That excludes UK basketball of course, but that’s in your DNA:)
Buy a bunch of Michael Jackson memorabilia now. You’ll thank me in a few months.
Celebrate. Make sure you stop and smell the roses every now and then, no matter how faint the aroma is. Every little milestone is worth celebrating. You throw a party every time your 2 year old uses the potty, surely you can find a few things you do that are worth celebrating.
Tiger Woods isn’t quite all he’s cracked up to be.
You will get sucked in to catch phrases. I know, it’s inevitable, but try really hard to stay away from “Fail” or “Epic” or “Classic”.  They get old.
Cling to those closest to you. In the next few months you will learn the most about people who care deeply for you and your family. Hold on to them with the tightest grip you can. They are the things that are important. There are no health insurance plans, 401Ks, or vacation days that could ever replace what you have in those who love you.

No matter what happens to you this year, know that you will end 2009 in a healthier and happier mindset. It’s kind of weird, considering all that will come your way, but this will be the best year of your life! You will climb mountains and collapse in valleys but through it all you will have a new baby girl, your hilarious little boy will turn 2, your beautiful wife will constantly redefine what it means to be supportive, your family and friends will rally around you more than you could ever imagine, you get to move out of suburbia and into the city, you start a business that shatters your first year expectations and you get to meet so many incredible people that like you for who you are.

You’re the luckiest guy in the world!
January 1, 2010 Nathan

*Feel free to leave comments below. I would love to hear about your 2009 thoughts, catch phrases, or hero letdowns.