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At the ripe old age of 37, I'm becoming a firefighter.
Yep. You read that right.
Something that wasn't even on my radar a year ago is now going to have Kels, the boys, Oaks, and me packing up and moving to Colorado to begin a completely new chapter of life. And I couldn't be more excited.
It started as a little ping, a whisper I felt back in June that I couldn't quite shake. The more I sat with it, examined it, and explored the possibility, the more right it felt.
Not necessarily in a heady, intellectual sense, although it makes plenty of sense intellectually. More in my body. In my soul.
Kind of like putting on a great T-shirt, the perfect pair of jeans, or a really good pair of boots.
It just fits.
I've been craving an opportunity to put my physical and mental capacities to work in a different way for some time now, and firefighting turned out to be the perfect match.
Once I made up my mind, I got clear on the Outcome, put a plan together, and started executing. Five months later, I had an offer.
Pretty wild.
And as I've been reflecting on this whole experience, I realized that this is now the fourth major career transition I've made since graduating from college.
I started out working for Bank of America before moving into strength and conditioning, where I became a highly sought-after coach working with professional athletes and special operators.
From there, I went back to graduate school, spent three years pursuing a PhD in integrative physiology, coauthored 11 publications, and became a "scientist".
Then I left that world to become an entrepreneur, starting and growing two digital businesses to multi-six figures.
And now, apparently, I'm going to be a firefighter.
Along the way, I met and married Kels, became a father to two incredible little boys, and managed to keep my body in pretty damn good shape, if I do say so myself.
It's been quite the ride.
And while every one of those chapters has looked completely different, there's been one constant that's helped me navigate each transition and continue moving forward.
My ability to consistently plan and execute my days.
I've been thinking about this even more since watching the new Nick Saban documentary.
Saban famously built his football program around something he called The Process. Instead of obsessing over the scoreboard, the championship, or the final outcome, he taught his players to focus on the next play.
Six seconds.
Execute those six seconds to the best of your ability, then do it again. And again. And again.
You win the game by winning the plays.
Seven national championships later, I'd say that philosophy worked out pretty well.
And I've found the same principle to be incredibly valuable in my own life.
For me, the equivalent of those six seconds is a day.
Sure, you could break it down into hours, work cycles, or individual actions. But I've found that the day is a pretty useful unit to build around.
Because if I can consistently win my days, I have a pretty good shot at winning my weeks, months, years, and ultimately the bigger Outcomes I'm working toward.
Importantly, I'm not just trying to win the day as a worker. I'm trying to win the day as a whole man.
That means getting my most important work done, training my body, sharpening my mind, spending time in Scripture and connecting with God, investing in my marriage, being present with my boys, and staying connected with the brothers in my life.
I think back to being a 24-year-old single bro and laugh at how simple life was.
Now I've got a wife, two boys, a business I love (to be clear, Total Man isn't going anywhere. I love that work, and I'm excited to continue building and evolving it), and a new career in the fire service on the horizon.
Which means the demands on my time, energy, and attention are about to change yet again. And that's precisely why my daily planning and execution system has had to evolve with me over the years.
The way I planned and executed my days as a single 24-year-old isn't going to cut it as a 37-year-old husband, father, entrepreneur, and firefighter.
The system has to grow as the man grows.
Because none of the things I care about are going to happen by accident.
Building a great business. Doing meaningful work. Progressing as a firefighter. Staying in great athletic shape. Having an intimate, playful marriage. Raising my boys. Growing spiritually. Maintaining real friendships with other men.
All of those things require time, energy, and consistent action.
And that's what The Daily Attack Plan™ has become for me.
It's the daily planning and execution system I've built, tested, and refined through every one of these seasons to help me consistently move the right things forward without losing sight of the rest of my life.
And next week, I'm going to teach you exactly how I use it.
I've taught versions of this system over the years, but I've recently made some significant upgrades, and I'm excited to share the new and improved version with you.
Inside The Daily Attack Plan™ workshop you'll get:
Get your own digital copy of The Daily Attack Planner, including a full month's supply of pages ready to print or use on your tablet of choice. The simple 4-part daily planning and execution system my clients and I use to plan, execute, document, and debrief our days so our biggest priorities actually get done. How to plan tomorrow before today is over, so you can shut down work with a clear head, sleep better, and wake up knowing exactly what you're attacking. My method for identifying your 1 to 3 highest-impact priorities and their expected deliverables, so you're moving your business forward instead of spending eight hours being busy. The dead-simple process for calculating your work capacity and making realistic daily commitments, so you stop overloading your days with more than you can actually get done. My method for turning your daily priorities into realistic time blocks, so you know exactly what you're working on, when you're working on it, and how long you've got to get it done. How to escape the endless to-do list from hell, where you cross off 10 things, add 15 more, and still feel behind. Turn that overwhelming list into a clear, executable plan of attack. How to stop wasting your best hours on "productive distractions." The emails, admin, tweaking, and little tasks that keep you busy while the work that actually grows your business gets pushed to tomorrow. The secret to protecting your most valuable work from distractions and reactive firefighting, before emails, messages, and everyone else's priorities hijack your day. How to use focused work cycles to get your most important work done before noon, without burning through your best mental energy on low-priority work. My system for documenting your day and capturing loose ends, ideas, and unexpected tasks on the fly, so nothing gets forgotten or keeps bouncing around in your head. The simple way I stay on track when life throws me a curveball, so I can handle unexpected meetings, family responsibilities, and last-minute problems without derailing my priorities or spiraling back into reactive mode. How to build real accountability with yourself, so you become a man who consistently does what he says he's going to do, even when motivation is low. How to gamify your daily execution across the six major life arenas, so you're not winning in business while your health, marriage, kids, and friendships get neglected. The quick evening debrief I use to close out the day, see what actually got done, and make tomorrow better. The secret to breaking the "I'll do double tomorrow" cycle, where unfinished work keeps piling up and you're constantly playing catch-up.
We go live next Tuesday, November 3rd, at 2 PM Pacific.
The replay and resources are included, even if you can't make it live.
Grab your ticket before registration closes Friday:
https://jamescerbie.me/daily-attack-plan/
Big love,
James
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