The Base Hit Method
Take the first reasonable opportunity toward your aim instead of waiting to plan the perfect move
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 60%
The Base Hit Method is Eric's answer to veterans and career-changers who feel nothing will measure up to what they used to do. Rather than waiting to identify the perfect next career, pick a general aim and take the first reasonable opportunity in that direction, a 'base hit' rather than swinging for a home run. The mechanism, borrowed from a Jordan Peterson idea about having an aim, is that your perspective (aperture) only opens up as you physically move toward a goal; standing still and planning keeps your view narrow, while moving reveals whether the goal is still right and surfaces adjacent opportunities you couldn't have seen from where you started.
Origin
Extracted from The Shawn Ryan Show, from Eric's advice to separating service members based on his own winding path through consulting, gun range ownership, fitness industry leadership, and the NRA before landing in his current role.
Core principles
- 01Movement toward a goal reveals information that standing still never will
- 02Your first move doesn't have to be your final destination
- 03An 'aim' can be directional rather than a fixed, detailed plan
- 04Opportunities open in route that were invisible from a standstill
- 05A short reset period is fine; an indefinite one isn't
How to run it
- 1
Cap your reset period
Allow yourself a short decompression window, but set a hard limit (a month or two) rather than letting it become indefinite.
Watch out Eric didn't get this option and calls the lack of it the hardest period of his life; don't skip it if you can help it, but don't let it drag on either.
- 2
Choose a directional aim, not a finished plan
Pick a general direction you want to move toward instead of waiting until you have the entire path mapped out.
- 3
Take the first reasonable opportunity
Accept a 'base hit' role that moves you toward the aim rather than holding out for the ideal position.
Pro tip Treat it explicitly as a base hit, not the end goal, so you don't feel stuck if it isn't perfect.
- 4
Let your aperture open as you move
Expect your view of the goal to change and clarify only once you're in motion toward it, not while you're still planning from a standstill.
- 5
Stay alert to adjacent opportunities
Watch for opportunities that appear only because you're already moving, since they're invisible from a standstill.
In the wild
Eric went to meet the founder and CFO of Golden Rod Companies expecting only to discuss a speaking engagement. Because he was already in motion, professionally active and visible, the founder instead asked him to help lead culture and operations across the company.
→ That unplanned conversation became his current full-time role as Chief Standards Officer, which he says fits well alongside his speaking career.
Common mistakes
Waiting for the perfect next move
Refusing to act until a plan is fully formed keeps you stationary, and the clarity you're waiting for only comes from moving, not planning.
Tying your identity entirely to your last title
Defining yourself solely by a previous role (e.g. 'I am a Navy SEAL') makes any new opportunity feel like a demotion, which discourages taking a reasonable base hit.
Is it for you?
Best for
Someone transitioning out of an identity-defining career who is stuck overplanning instead of acting.
Not ideal for
Someone who already has a clear, well-researched next step lined up and doesn't need momentum to find one.
From the transcript
“your first job getting out of the military might not be your ultimate thing. Like just take a base hit.”
“Jordan Peterson had this thing about having an aim, right? where you have an aim... as you as you get higher towards it, like your…”
“too many people are stuck down here planning about like what to do next.”
From the episode
#313 Eric Frohardt - DEVGRU Gold Squadron Sniper and Assaulter