A Must Read
Remove every limitation from your mind and imagine what the ideal version of yourself is. What would you be capable of both mentally and physically? Maybe you could design technology that could resolve nearly all energy issues. Maybe you can create art that unites conflicting communities. Maybe you can accomplish feats that people thought were impossible. And if it were possible, how could you strive that version of yourself?
David Goggins had nearly everything against him. An abusive father. A harsh and racist city. No motivation to learn and grow. He excused himself out of the Air Force. And he ended up at nearly 300 lbs as a pest exterminator.
Where is he now? Goggins lost 100 lbs in 3 months to join the Navy SEALS. He had to go through Hell Week, the most brutal military training, 3 times in order to join. And on the final time he ran months with broken shins to avoid quitting. He then took up ultra marathon running with little training to run 100 miles in under 24 hours, then run a marathon with damaged legs fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and finally run BadWater, 130 miles starting in Death Valley during peak heat and known as the toughest ultramarathon in the country. And then he had to stop because he learned since birth he had a hole in his heart which wasn’t giving him complete oxygen uptake. After his surgery, he couldn’t run until fully recovered. So in the meantime he decides to break the world record for pull-ups in 24 hours. Now he’s known as the toughest man alive.
Woah. What happened? I thought we were talking about someone who had very little going for him. Someone who had no talent or skill to rely on. How is he now the best? What got Goggins from A to B? What was his journey like, the pain he had to endure, and the mental strength he used to overcome all odds?
To me, Can’t Hurt Me is the perfect autobiography to read. Of course, there are many other great ones out there. And peering into the journeys of the most successful people in the world can be informative and inspirational.
But you ever get that little nagging feeling that they had something special? Maybe something genetic. Possibly something in their environment. And if it was a rags to riches story, maybe society might have overlooked some natural intelligence or skill that they later worked hard to leverage. Of course, the hard work was the key, and we will follow in their lead to achieve what we can. But we just can’t imagine that we can achieve the same things they did.
Well Goggins isn’t giving that excuse. There is no window to look into his life to say his success is partly predicated on. There is only hard work. And as you come to realize this, there is a certain truth that, although difficult to accept, you can no longer ignore. You likely capable of doing everything Goggins has done if you truly wanted to.
We can never really know what the best version of ourselves is. But one thing Goggins reveals is that we aren’t even close to getting there. And the only way to reach it is having the mental strength to suffer through all the pain along the way. Talent was not required. Goggins just decided to push through what he had previously always avoided.
I personally believe this is a must read because it shattered any limitations on what I thought I was capable of. It’s obviously easy to hear cliches like believe you can do the impossible and all. But to hear the story of someone go through it and the mental state during their most painful moments is rather jaw-dropping. It takes away your excuses and directs your focus on pushing through the pain and becoming the best you’re capable of being.
You can find the book on Amazon through my affiliate link here. I personally listened to it on Audible which actually had additional mini-podcasts that certainly helped support the material. But they weren’t necessary so find the platform that works for you if you’re interested in reading it.