Happy New Year! A couple of weeks ago I shared my progress report from 2024. Considering all the training I got done in ’24, it’s going to be a hard year to top.
I’m a little later getting this out than I wanted. This year is also a little lighter on goals that I wanted, but two of the goals I do have are pretty ambitious. They are taking up a lot of my time, attention, and energy. I think they will be worth it, though. They are the police academy and the new book that will be coming out this year.
Jan – May: Police Academy
I mentioned in my last post that I am a student in a police academy, and that I would discuss it more in this post. I am attending a night class. Class is five nights a week, along with some Saturdays. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays we show up at 17:30, PT until 18:30, then have class from 19:00 – 23:00. On Thursdays and Fridays we have class from 18:00 to 22:00. The late nights are a challenge for an early-bird like me, unaccustomed to staying up that late on a regular basis.
This course presents several challenges. First, it is a stamina challenge; September through May is a long time. Keep in mind I am also working full time at EMS. Just juggling the schedule to get my full-time hours in presents its own mental challenge. Then there are the physical challenges of PT, the mental challenges of academics, and all the other stuff involved in being a competitive old man in a young man’s game. I also have a few side goals in addition to merely graduating.
Graduate as Class Sergeant: I was voted in as class Sergeant on the third night of class. I have managed to keep this position until now. I fully intend to graduate as same.
Graduate as Top Academic Cadet: I want to be number one in the class academically. No guarantees, but so far it’s looking pretty good.
Physical Fitness: I mentioned the Cooper Law Enforcement Standards in its own post. By the end of class (mid-May) I want to an “Excellent” across the board on this set of standards.
Get Sworn: Finally, I want to be sworn as a law enforcement officer.
New Book: Competent & Dangerous
I am deep into the process of writing a new book. Tentatively it is called Competent & Dangerous. It is a book covering many topics to make you..well, competent and dangerous. The working subtitle is “all the stuff your old man should have taught you.” This book is the book that sixteen year old me longed to stumble across at the library or find under the Christmas tree.
This book covers a variety of topics. The chapter list is:
- Prepare Your Mind and Body
- Develop a System of Every Day Carry (EDC)
- Develop Financial Stability
- Mobility
- First Aid
- Digital Security
- Dress Well and Look Sharp
- Basic All-Hazards Preparedness
- Physical Security
- Wilderness Survival
- Be Effortlessly Charming
- Firearms
I have already written 535 pages and almost 300,000 words. The average novel is only about 100,000 words. This thing is going to be a beast, my Magnum Opus, and a little bit a legacy project. though a lot of the material is inspired but stuff I’ve written on the blog, nothing is cut an pasted. Stay tuned – I hope to have this textbook-sized book out by summer!
October: Rangemaster Shotgun Instructor
I have signed up and payed for another one of Tom Givens’ classes: a three-day Shotgun Instructor Course. The class is held at Apache Solutions in North Carolina. I am looking forward to traveling out there and seeing some of the Apache crew I met at Shotgun Skills.
Year Round: Read 104 Books
I have slacked off on reading just a bit in the past couple of years. I would like to average two books a week throughout the year for a total of 104. Dedicating myself to reading has been almost life-changing for me. If you aren’t reading, you should find the discipline to do so, You will thank yourself!
2025 Goals
And that’s about it. I know this is a short list of 2025 goals, but between working on the book and kicking ass in the academy, I don’t have a ton of bandwidth left. Once I get those two projects wrapped up, expect to see more content here! Thanks for your patience!
