How I Heard of David Goggins
I first heard of David Goggins when Jesse Itzler started doing the podcast circuit for his book ‘Living with a Seal’. Jesse told stories of living with a retired Nave Seal and it was both hilarious to listen to, as well as super motivating. Jesse would tell stories of doing an insane number of pull ups when he thought he couldn’t, jumping in cold water, running long distances that he didn’t think possible and breaking into push ups at the drop of a hat. No time was wasted and no physical feat would go unaccomplished. After hearing all the stories I was excited to learn more about this guy, David Goggins.
Jesse Itzler, the author of “Living With a Seal” tells some funny stories of Goggins when they lived together for a month on “The Joe Rogan Experience”.
After doing some research and listening to other podcasts he has done, it was easy to fall in love with the story and persona of Goggins. He constantly talked about being uncommon and how many of us left so much on the floor of life, physically, but also mentally.
Quickly you find out that Goggins had it rough growing up to say the least. Abusive father, unhealthy mental living conditions, seemingly endless tragic events happening all around him, all lead to Goggins carving his own path of mental toughness to overcome the struggle.
The Book: Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
by David Goggins
As someone who doesn’t love reading and is trying to read more, ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ was actually a pleasure and found myself finishing it in about 4 days. I loved how easy the pages turned, as Goggins dove deep into his story. Some may think that this is a motivational book, but really , it was more a biography of the struggle filled life of Goggins. Although some of the stories were told already on podcasts I already listened too, he goes deeper into detail and pulls the curtain back on the circumstances leading up to, during and after those events. Goggins goes deep into three main parts of his life, childhood, military service and his physical endurance events, which are mostly long distance running.
I really enjoyed the book and would encourage you to read it. I was expecting more ‘life lessons’ or ‘how to improve your life’ hacks, but those lessons bleed through the story-telling and how Goggins lived his life. By telling his story, he allows you to motivate yourself, take what you need from the book and get hard.
Favorite Passages
(the following excerpts are passages from the book and are not my own writings)
Page 147: “I was rejecting my past, therefore rejecting myself.”
Page 210: “Our governor is buried deep in our minds…ours can’t stop us unless we buy into its b******t and agree to quit.”
Page 221-2: “…if you are on the hunt for your 100% you should catalog your weaknesses and vulnerabilities.”
Page 278: “…refuse to ignore duties undone.”
Page 323: “Your entitled mind is dead weight. Cut it loose. Don’t focus on what you think you deserve. Take aim on what you are willing to earn!”