The Year of the Fire Horse and the F It Line

2026 isn't just another year. It's the year the universe is telling you to move.

There's a moment every teacher hits.

Sunday night. Marking pile. Thirty-seven emails from parents. A staff meeting tomorrow about a policy nobody asked for. And this voice (quiet at first, then impossible to ignore) says:

"I can't do this for another twenty years."

I call it the F It Line. I wrote about it in my book Teach Yourself Out because every teacher I've spoken to knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Not the moment you hate teaching. The moment you realise you're capable of more than the system has room for.

Most teachers push that feeling down. Monday morning comes, the bell rings, and you get on with it. Because that's what teachers do. We show up.

But the feeling doesn't leave. It just gets louder.

Here's where it gets interesting. Because 2026 isn't just another year on the calendar.

The Fire Horse

In Chinese astrology, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. It comes around once every 60 years. The last one was 1966.

The Fire Horse represents energy, rebellion, independence, and bold transformation. It's the zodiac's most untameable sign (restless, passionate, and allergic to being told to stay in its lane).

In 1966, the world saw cultural revolution (literally), the rise of counter-culture movements, mass social upheaval, and ordinary people questioning systems they'd accepted their entire lives. It was the year people stopped asking for permission and started building what they believed in.

Sound familiar?

Because right now, in 2026, we're watching the same pattern play out. AI is reshaping every industry. The cost of building a business has collapsed. A teacher with a laptop and the right knowledge can create, launch, and sell something to the world from their kitchen table.

The barriers that used to keep you in the classroom (capital, technical skills, distribution, time) are falling faster than at any point in history.

The Fire Horse doesn't care about your five-year plan. It cares about whether you're running in the right direction.

Why Teachers Feel This First

Teachers are wired differently from most professionals. You're trained to plan, design, differentiate, assess, iterate, and deliver (every single day, in real time, with 30 unpredictable humans in front of you).

That skillset is extraordinary. And it's wildly undervalued in education.

But in the outside world? It's called product management. Instructional design. UX research. Curriculum development. Content strategy. Training and development. Consulting.

The market is desperate for people who can take complex information and make it accessible. That's literally what you do for a living.

The F It Line isn't about being ungrateful. It's your instincts telling you something true: you've outgrown the container you're in.

The 60-Year Collision

Here's what makes 2026 different from every other "maybe I should leave" year.

The last Fire Horse year (1966), you needed money, connections, and luck to start something. In 2026, you need a clear idea, a laptop, and the willingness to start before you're ready.

Three things are colliding right now:

1. AI has changed who can build.
You don't need to know how to code. You don't need a design team. You don't need a marketing department. Tools that didn't exist 18 months ago can help you build a landing page in an afternoon, create a course in a weekend, and reach your first customers by next week.

2. The knowledge economy is exploding.
There's a Nate Jones video doing the rounds right now about the "job market split." His data: two classes of knowledge workers are emerging. Those who can specify what to build (and direct AI to build it) will command 10-80x more value than those who just do the work. Teachers are natural specifiers. Lesson plans are specifications. Learning outcomes are acceptance criteria. Rubrics are test suites. You've been training for this your whole career.

3. The old career path is breaking.
Teacher retention is in crisis globally. Pay hasn't kept pace. Workload has increased. The deal (stability and holidays in exchange for modest pay) is falling apart as the cost of living outpaces salaries. The system that was supposed to look after you isn't holding up its end anymore.

These three forces don't come together often. The last time energy like this was in the air was 1966. And that year changed everything.

What the F It Line Actually Is

The F It Line isn't rage. It's clarity.

It's the moment you stop negotiating with a situation that isn't going to change and start asking a better question: "What would I build if I gave myself permission?"

Some teachers cross it and go all in. They leave, build a business, never look back.

Some teachers cross it and build on the side. A course. A coaching practice. A product. They keep teaching but create options. Safety nets. A Plan B that might become Plan A.

Some teachers feel it, acknowledge it, and choose to stay (but now with open eyes rather than quiet desperation).

All three paths are valid.

The F It Line doesn't demand you quit. It demands you stop pretending everything's fine when it isn't.

Fire Horse Energy is Not Comfortable

Here's the thing nobody tells you about transformation: it's not a montage. It's messy.

Fire Horse years historically bring upheaval. Chaos alongside progress. The energy is wild; it doesn't do "safe and gradual."

If you're waiting for the perfect moment to start, the Fire Horse says there isn't one. There's just the moment you decide to move.

That means:

• Starting before you're ready. Your first course won't be polished. Your first landing page will be rough. Your first email to potential customers will feel awkward. Do it anyway.
• Being uncomfortable with being seen. Teachers are used to performing for a room. Performing for an audience of strangers on the internet is different. The vulnerability is different. Do it anyway.
• Letting go of the identity. "I'm a teacher" is a powerful identity. Expanding it to "I'm a teacher AND a builder" takes time. Give yourself that time.

The Practical Bit

Because this isn't just astrology. This is a to-do list.

If you've crossed the F It Line and you're ready to build:

1. Pick one thing you know really well. Not everything. One thing.
2. Find 10 people who have the problem your knowledge solves. Talk to them. Don't sell. Listen.
3. Build the smallest possible version of a solution. A PDF guide. A workshop. A short course. A template pack.
4. Put it in front of those 10 people. Get feedback. Iterate.
5. Then tell the world.

That's it. That's the lean launch. Not a 47-step funnel. Not a viral TikTok strategy. Just: know something, find someone who needs it, help them, repeat.

If you haven't crossed the F It Line yet:

Pay attention. The feeling isn't random. It's data.

Start a note on your phone. Every time you feel that Sunday night dread, write down what triggered it. After a month, read it back. Patterns will emerge. Those patterns will tell you what you need to change (whether that's inside teaching or outside it).

2026 Is Not Neutral

The Fire Horse doesn't do neutral. It demands movement.

For some of you reading this, 2026 will be the year you finally build that thing you've been thinking about for three years. You'll look back at this as the turning point.

For others, 2026 will be another year of "maybe next year." And that's OK. But be honest with yourself about which one you're choosing.

The F It Line is personal. Nobody can cross it for you. But the Fire Horse year is making the crossing easier than it's been in 60 years.

The tools are here. The market is ready. The old system is cracking.

The only question left is whether you are.

My book Teach Yourself Out walks you through the F It Line and everything that comes after: how to turn your classroom skills into a career, a business, or a side income that changes your life. Available now on Amazon.