I’ve never been one to feel like I need to wait for January 1 to start something. I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions – Just make the decision of what needs to get done today and start.
But, as I’m sitting in the calm of the dead week between Christmas & New Year’s burning up PTO, it’s giving me a chance to simply reflect, slow down, and decide what course corrections I want to make in 2026. I’ve been sitting this evening rolling through my Discords, seeing what’s there, contemplating what Corley Moore of Firehouse Vigilance has been able to accomplish, juxtaposing it with what I’ve accomplished, and deciding what my next actions will be to move the ball downfield.
Setting the Tone
I watched a really impactful video the other day on screen time. I’m glad that I’m not a typical 18 year old in that I was raised prior to the iPhone age. Check this out for context:
The graphic of the dots is pretty insane. So much perspective…
Anyway, I turn 60 this year. The amount of dots that I have left is dwindling. I don’t want or need to be wasting my time doing things that I don’t want to do or that don’t have a mission focus to them. I get to decide.
So what does that voting tally look like? What will be the key ideas that I want to focus on? My vote of how I spend my time is the only vote that counts. If it’s not a “Hell Yes” then it’s simply a “Nope.”
What Areas of Focus are on the shortlist? Here are the list toppers.
Teaching
Without a doubt, teaching is what I want to do with my time. It’s where and how my percentage of impact is maximized. It’s the activity that gives me the most joy. It affords me to make the most impact on our industry and on those who are coming to take my place. I need to do this.
So how & where do I do it?
I’ve not taken advantage of the forums & arenas & delivery methods. I simply haven’t. The podcast. This website. The Discord. Engineering Management Institute. These are the high-value venues where my time will go.
A book is there. Presentations are there. Finding speaking circuits is there. I need to hone these crafts, get better at them, find more of them to share my work and my wisdom. I need to take an active role in making these areas focus areas, not neglecting them, taking advantage of the growth potential that they have.
Writing
It probably dove-tails with teaching, but writing also gives me a lot of joy. Sitting here, as I’m doing right now on a Friday night at 2300 hrs writing is, for me, satisfying. And that’s a lot of what I’m thinking about given all that I read about & learn about & listen to others – Do what I enjoy, let others figure out if they enjoy it too.
For anyone to try to anticipate what others want, to spend time & energy and LIFE trying to satisfy a bunch of unknown others, seems like a ridiculous charter. I’m here, doing what I enjoy doing, hoping that there are others built like me who will find it of value & purpose. And that’s a great end goal to achieve. That satisfies the overall mission. But, I’m the one who needs to enjoy the fruits of the time spent. All that I do has to satisfy me first. And that’s not said selfishly: People will invest their time if they find what I’m doing valuable – Win win.
Reading
I get so much enjoyment out of books. It’s a very comforting endeavor. Sometimes it feels like I’m wasting time, that I could be doing something else. I think of the dots from the YT video. But, I know full well, time invested in reading is valuable.
I’ve spoken & written on this in many different venues, but I enjoy keeping a healthy book stack live. I’m not a one-book-at-a-time reader, I like to have multiple subject matters & genres going simultaneously. Often times, there are juxtapositions between live books that create new ideas for me. I enjoy seeking that out.
My topic focus areas remain pretty steady. I try to always have an active book covering:
- Faith & Catholicism
- Durability & Mental Well-Being
- Writing
- Military & American History Biographies
I’ve recently added some fiction to my reading – I’m sure, on face value, that sounds ridiculous, but I’ve always been a non-fiction reader, feeling that reading imaginary stories didn’t have as big of a return on investment. But, I’ve stepped into some interesting novels – Westerns (Elmer Kelton & Zane Gray) and action thrillers (Jack Carr). Fun additions.
Prayer
My morning prayer routine is sacred time for me. I kind of laugh when I hear about all of the new-age bio hacking bullshit that people dream up with, like they’re all inventing some sort of new code that cracks it all. You know what: People have been praying for 1000’s of years. And it has been working for 1000’s of years. Just do what’s been done. Basics. It doesn’t always have to be new and improved. God. Jesus. Mary. The saints. The writings. The philosophies. The people who have thought deeply and written about it – It’s all there. The lessons have been experienced millions of times over. Simply read and understand those lessons. Chart a course for yourself and simply follow it.
Durability
I feel like 2025 was a bit of a falling-off year insofar as my training goes. I let other things, like teaching & office work & reading get in the way of spending, investing the time that my body needs. Again, I’m 59. I don’t thing anything is breaking down hard on my person still. But, that’s (I’d like to believe…) a function of the tuition payments that I’ve made in keeping myself healthy and in shape for the years leading up to where I’m at. I know that if I start slacking, it will catch up with me. And I know that if I start to show signs of dents in the armor and KNOW that I’ve not put in the work, or eaten right, of rested, I’m gonna really be pissed at myself. So, bringing it back to the fore is vital.
And I also recognize that there’s a good chance that a BJJ brown belt is in my future in 2026 – I need to represent it. That means I need to be focusing my work on it. I need to be developing MY game. My details. Spending time working on my fundamentals to be good in the positions that I enjoy the most. I need to work on it with dedication. As with the general durability, my BJJ game is vital to the overall package. And the last thing I want is to be promoted with a shitty game. And I really feel like my game is shitty. Find avenues to improve it. Spend time studying what’s important. The details.
Nutrition
Lastly, but not least, getting or keeping my intake on track is also as vital as durability. Maybe I’ve slipped a bit on this track as well, letting a snack or something sweet creep in on me. I know what I need to put in my body. Zach talks about it all the time. Eric Evans talks about it too. Clean fuel wins. It’s simple. I just need to get rid of the pantry junk and get the shelves filled with good, wholesome food. We have a lot of good food already, and I cannot let us waste food, so that will be a formidable goal of my for Q1 & Q2 of 2026 – Take stock, do a pantry & freezer inventory – Eat what we have, clear the slate, then get to work and restocking with clean fuel.
Closeout
Pretty crazy: This stream of writing put up 1400 words (see “Writing” above…). I feel like I typed this in about 20 minutes. Crazy when you’re in a flow, writing about something that comes naturally, how the words & keystrokes just roll. Kinda cool.
Action Plan – LFG!! I’ve got the V50 with the Vigilantes coming up. I’ve got the ACPA Pipe School 2026 coming up. I’ve got CM 125 Spring ’26 coming up. I’m tweaking my tech setup in HQ to ramp-up the podcast & YT game. The Dirty Dozen book draft continues to take shape.
These are my flagship efforts. Chart the course. Stay vigilant. These are my areas of focus. Keep the puck moving up ice. We’ll revisit this as we go to see if we’re staying on course.
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