084. Goodbye...

...to 2025 and hello to 2026!

This year either made you better or it made you bitter. In this episode, we close out the year by pulling the real lessons from 2025 and turning them into a simple plan for 2026. We talk standards, health, and your crew—because this job will take from you unless you choose who you’re going to be.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to set one standard and actually live it when you’re tired
• How to teach the standard to the next generation without turning into a grouch
• How to protect your mind and body so you make it to retirement in one piece
• The simple “one habit at a time” method to stop getting overwhelmed and start stacking wins
• How to build your 2026 around better people, better habits, and better results

If you’re a firefighter who wants to start 2026 stronger, and stop drifting through the job on autopilot, this one’s for you.

Transcript

TJ: Hello everybody. Welcome back to the Keep the Promise Podcast. I'm your host, TJ, and I want you to grab a coffee and sit down for a minute because this is goodbye to 2025 and hello to 2026. And I want to be clear, this is not a highlight reel about me. This is not recapping just to be nostalgic. This episode is for you because as you're listening, you just lived another year in a job and in a life that can make you better or can make you bitter.

This life and this job can build you or break you. And if you don't choose what this year means, this year will choose that meaning for you. So take the reins. And tonight we're gonna do something simple. We're going to look back at the lessons that we learned in 2025, and we're going to turn those lessons into a plan for 2026.

And this is a plan you can actually follow. So here's a structure, three chapters, and I know you're rolling your eyes being like, holy shit. Three chapters, like a book. This is gonna be quick, I promise. Chapter one is the standard. This is who you decide to be. Chapter two is Your health. This is the stuff that you protect.

Chapter three is your people. This is who you run with and what you become when you're around them. And in the process of talking about these three chapters, I'm gonna play a handful of clips that have curated from the past year. And every clip that I play is here for one reason. Every story has a point and every point has a story behind it.

So let's get into chapter one, which is the standard. This is who you decide to be in 2026. If you're going to be different, you need to start right now, right here, right now. Because the quote unquote standard can turn into a meme. It can become a slogan in a hoodie, but if it isn't real actions, it's just noise.

2025 had a moment where this got set in a way that I don't want you to forget.

 The standard isn't a post on Instagram, it's a practice. It's what you do when you're tired. It's what you do when nobody's watching. It's how you train, how you talk, how you show up, how you clean up your mistakes.

But here's the part that a lot of people miss. Your standard can be different than mine. It can be different by department or by station or by shift. That's real life, and that's okay, but you still have to choose what the standard is and you still have to live it. Now, there was another part of this conversation that made me chuckle because it's so true.

 People always say, oh, this standard over and over and over. But they never define what it really is. That's exactly it. If your standard is real, you should be able to say what it looks like on a night when you're running on no sleep. When you're smoked. We're not talking about poetry. We're not saying, oh, get up in front of people and say, this is my standard.

Put it in plain fucking words. So here's a quick drill. If you still haven't figured out your standard right now. Tell me what your standard is in one sentence. Not your department's PR line, not something that gets told to the public. Your standard. And if you can't say it clearly, good. That means you just found where you can get to work.

The next problem now becomes a standard that you can't teach, can't be kept. I'm gonna say it again. If you can't teach the standard, you can't keep that standard, which is what brings us to the next part of 2025 that a lot of us don't wanna deal with, but we absolutely have to. The next generation is here and complaining doesn't help anyone.

 This is what leadership is about. It's not talking to them saying, Beck, in my day. It's not saying, oh, kids these days, leadership is looking at them being like, okay, how do I teach you what matters in a way that you can understand? And the clip didn't stop there. It goes deeper. It basically says, put your ego aside and bridge the cap between where you are and where they are.

It's hard. It sucks, but that's the job. So here's your 2026 move for this chapter. Pick one thing that you believe is the standard and learn how to teach it. Teach it to a probe. Teach it to a buddy of yours, teach it to that one firefighter who's kind of struggling. Teach it to yourself. Because remember, if you can't teach it, you don't own it yet.

And that leads us right into chapter two. See, I told you it was gonna be quick because none of this matters if you don't make it to the end of your career as a healthy firefighter. So in chapter two, we're talking about your health, which is the stuff that you need to protect. And when people hear health, they think abs and cardio and a scale and nutritious meals.

But your health is so much bigger than fitness. It's your body, it's your mind, it's your future. It's how you interact with the people you love, and it's whether you get to enjoy retirement. Or just reach out on paper and limp off into the sunset and die within a year of your last shift. There was a moment in 2025 where somebody said the quiet part out loud, we are not guaranteed to enjoy retirement.

TJ: That clip should wake you up. So when I say health, I mean this. Stop acting like you're going to live forever. And in 20 25, 2 sides of health kept showing up over and over. Number one, mental health. This is the shit that you carry after the calls. And number two, exposure health. This is the shit that gets into your body without you noticing.

Let's start with the mind. I'm not gonna do the thing where I sit here and we pretend that firefighters don't get affected. You see enough darkness, you don't stay normal. If you're numb, if you're angry, if you're exhausted, if you feel stuck, that's not weakness. That is a signal. That is a signal that something is wrong.

And there was a line in 2025 that hit me because it reframes the entire conversation around mental health.

 That's perspective. And if you're listening right now and you're in that hole, I want you to hear me loud and clear. Making it through today counts. It counts. The other big lesson from 2025 when it comes to mental health was this. Sometimes it's not that somebody wants death, it's just that they want relief.

TJ: That shit's real. And if that's you, if you're carrying weight that you don't know how to set down, don't do it alone. This show isn't therapy, but it is a reminder. You're not the only one, and you have options. If you're in that place right now, listen to me. Pause this episode and text or call 9, 8, 8 if you're in the US or reach out to a buddy or to peer support or to a counselor.

Reach out to anybody. You don't have to have a speech prepared. You don't have to have perfect words. Just reach out. That'll tell you that you are not alone. I promise people will answer and I promise you're going to feel like you have at least a shoulder to lean on. Okay? We got the mental health stuff outta the way.

We're still in the same chapter of health with the same goal of protecting your life. So let's talk about something else that kept showing up in 2025, and that is exposure. If mental health is what you carry inside, exposure is what you carry on your skin, what you carry on your gear, your clothes, and into your home.

2025 got very direct about how toxins get in,

TJ: and that's the point. It's not just the lungs, it's the skin, it's the hands, it's your food, it's the stuff that you touch, it's the stuff that you wear. And the trap is that people are gonna hear this and immediately clap back saying, oh, do I have to be bubble boy? I guess I can't touch anything. No motherfucker.

There are practical solutions to that. I'm not saying don't go out there and wrap yourself in bubble rap and cower from the world, but you can do things that will lessen that risk.

 That's how you win in 2026, not by trying to fix your whole life in January, but by picking one habit, locking it in, and then picking a new one, and then a new one after that. 2025. Also hammered. One simple family first idea. Don't bring the job home if you don't have to. Whether it be mentally or physically.

TJ: Health is not just about decon, it's a boundary. It's a switch. It's a way to come home as a better spouse, a better parent, and a better human. Make sure the people at the firehouse are not the only ones who get the best of you. Make sure you save some of that best humanity for your family as well. So here's your 2026 health move.

Pick one of these and start it this week, like starting today. It goes without saying, but wash your hands before you eat at the firehouse. Wipe down surfaces after calls. Stop wearing the your uniform home when you can. I know you feel cool and you feel awesome, but leave that shit at the firehouse or bring it home in a plastic bag and wash it immediately.

Decon your stuff like you actually care about your future. This one sucks too. Book that appointment that you've been avoiding, that health appointment, be it mental health or physical health. And last but not least, text that buddy that you've been thinking about one thing at a time, one day at a time.

And when you nail it, add a new one and continue growing. That's the end of chapter two, which means we go to chapter three because none of this stuff works without people. Chapter three is your people and who you run with, most importantly, who you become when you're around them. If you want a strong 2026, you need more than just goals.

You need people. You need a crew. You need accountability. You need someone who can tell you the truth when you start sliding. And 2025 had one lesson that is painfully simple. Don't wait to appreciate people until something bad happens. There was a clip this year that hit that exact nerve.

TJ: That's it. So here's a 2026 move that takes 30 seconds. Text somebody you love today. Not a paragraph. Just, Hey, I love you. I appreciate you, I miss you. Something along those lines, because remember, we are not promised later. We are not promised tomorrow. And on the firehouse side, if you want better people around you, you have to be a better person to be around, which brings us right back to the standard.

The standard isn't just how you train, but it's how you mentor. It's also how you show up for your crew, how you talk to the new guy and how you correct them without crushing them. And in 2025, we talked about learning and staying sharp because this job changes.

TJ: And that's a people lesson too, because when you keep learning, you stay humble and humble. Firefighters are the best firefighters. That's it. That's the end of chapter three. So now we get to put it all together. You didn't come here for a speech. You didn't come here for me to lecture you. You came here for direction.

So here's the 2026 plan. This is simple. This is doable, and it's built for firefighters like you. It's three moves. 2026 plan three moves. Move number one, one standard to live by. Not 10. So pick one sentence, one rule, one identity statement, whatever you wanna call it. Things like I do the basics. Even when I'm tired, I train.

So I'm useful. I leave the job at the station and come home present. I speak up early, not after it's a problem. Then write it down and put it where you can see it. And next time when you're about to skip or be lazy or drift or make excuses, ask yourself. Does this action match my standard? And if not, then correct your course.

That's it. One sentence, and always keep it at the forefront. The second move for 20 26, 1 Health Habit at a time. Remember, one day at a time, one thing at a time. Pick one thing, like training three to four days a week or walking 20 minutes after your shift. Maybe stop eating like a famish raccoon at 2:00 AM when you get back from your third medical.

Do things like deconning the stuff that you actually care about. Book the therapy appointment, or talk to somebody or fix your sleep schedule one hour at a time. Don't make this some sort of heroic thing. Notice how every single thing is just tiny increments. Make it repeatable. Start it, build it into your daily routine, and then add a new one.

So that was move number two. Let's move on to number three. This one deals with people every single week, and this is your plan for how to do life with others, how not to do it alone. So once a week, teach a probe. Be something real. Check in on your friends you haven't talked to in a while. Invite somebody to go to the gym with you and work out with you.

Have an honest conversation with loved one or text that one friend that you've been missing. That's it. Three moves, standard Health and people. If you do those, I promise you, your 2026 will not be perfect, but it will be stronger and you will be super proud of it. Folks, that is it. Goodbye to 2025. If this year kicked your ass, good, you're still here.

You're still in the fight. If this year was a win for you, good. I'm proud of you, but don't get comfortable. Keep building. And if you want structure accountability in a community that actually gives a damn, you already know where to find us. Join the Keep the Promise community. Start fit for service. Train with us, talk with us.

Build the standard with us. And if this episode hit you and it hit home and it just made you feel some sort of way, please do one thing for me. Send it to one firefighter who needs it. Here's to an awesome 2026. Love you. See you next year.