A blog overview of David Goggins “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds” audiobook —The New York Times Best Seller with over 4 million copies sold!
I have heard bits and pieces of information about David Goggins through social media as well as from friends that have read his book. The overall aura and mysticism of Goggins came to fruition when I listened to this audible. He is a wealth of knowledge and has a very distinct approach to life. The top 10 things I learned from listening to David Goggins audible Can’t Hurt Me include the following:
1. Own your life
Taking ownership of your life is holding yourself accountable for all of your actions. Whether they are bettering themselves or not, you have to depend on yourself to make it the best life you can. There isn’t anyone coming to save you. This was evident in my life when I was working for a well-established oil and gas construction company as a mechanical engineer.
The money was good, but I was away from family most of the time and not fulfilling my life with passion. I chose to step away from that position and now following my passion for motorcycles. My income isn’t consistent as it once was, but I am slowly figuring out what I need to do and enjoying each day of the process.
2. Be your own hero
In all cartoon movies, there’s always a hero and a villain. Someone that is trying to make the best of their situation and another that is trying to derail the other’s plans for a brighter future. Being your own hero is to be true to yourself, know what you want in this life, and pursue it with everything you have. I’m currently following the path of becoming my own hero in my life story by chasing my dream of racing motorcycles professionally. This has been my aspiration since I was a young boy, wanting to race here at the Houston supercross. Not fulfilling that, would be a failure of a career in my mind. That is why I have to give this chance everything I have and become the hero of my own story.
3. Do not get caught up with what people think about you
The easiest thing to understand, but the hardest to implement is to not get caught up in what people think about you. It is almost like you are fighting against your human nature to enact this thought. I believe that it is in our nature to desire for people to like us and want to be around like-minded individuals, but you have to understand that not everyone thinks the same way or is in the same stage of life as you. Many have traded their passions in for the rat trap and will judge you for taking the risk in your own passion-filled path. I have experienced this dilemma in my current stage of life; but I have learned to use that as fuel to strengthen my mindset, even if that is not pleasing to those around me.
4. Become disciplined
When the motivation begins to dwindle and it becomes tougher to do the task that you know will make you better, that is when the discipline kicks in and you get them done no matter what. There is no try, either you do something and get better or you choose not to do them and slowly start to regress. Your edge and advantage will soon falter if you do not keep up with your discipline
5. Get up and do something that sucks every day
Nothing feels better than knocking something out that you know will be good for you, even if you do not enjoy it at the moment. For me, this would be going for a run. At the beginning of every run, my first thought is to turn around and go back to the house. It takes me a few minutes, but I eventually settle into my pace and the enjoyable factors begin. My body begins to feel full of energy and I start to embrace the clean air and the great scenery around me. I get the encouragement of facing something that at first seems like a chore and then reaping the benefits of accomplishing it.
6. There is no finish line
Having a finish line in sight will limit the amount of work and effort you give to the goal. I believe the continuous movement of your goals will keep you digging deeper to accomplish them. Once a goal is accomplished, you set the next target to hit and keep on working. This has filled each day with purpose and brought fulfillment to my life.
7. Anyone can change their life
We each are given the same amount of time in a day, and we all use that allotment very differently. Some choose to maximize their time and others choose to waste it. Changing your circumstances and life is all within your control. I have chosen to break away from the standard mold and slowly have been inching my way to living a life with passion and following my aspirations.
8. Become uncommon amongst uncommon
Being uncommon amongst common individuals only takes a minimal amount of effort, but to be uncommon amongst uncommon individuals will take your maximum amount of effort at all times. You will work hard, and yet, still question yourself if you are doing all that you can to be better than you were yesterday. That continuous focus on improvement will separate you from the individuals around you. If your heart is set on greatness, this will have to be the mindset day in and day out.
9. Find the treasure in the wreckage
Every negative situation has some positive that can be taken from it, it just takes the right eye to see it and harness it. Once the overall negative feeling about what has happened is gone, then analyze the situation. Break down each step that led to the poor outcome and figure out what could have been done to improve the result. Take those adjustments and apply them in the future.
10. Failure is the biggest gift in life
Failure has a connotation of negativity and coming up short when really it just means you figured out one way that does not work. You attempted but did not hit the mark. You learned from that failure and now attempt to find the way to success. This should not be the endpoint, but just a stepping stone along the path. Failure is a part of all great stories and journeys, the ones that realize failure is the biggest gift in life will follow through on their path to greatness. They are the ones that make history.
After my completion of this audible, it has made me want to reevaluate certain decisions I have made and the life that I am working towards. I will use these 10 lessons that I learned from David Goggins and approach my life in the manner I believe he would. Attack, analyze, and then back on the attack, the get-after-it mentality will push you to limits never thought imaginable. We only have one shot at this life, we better make each second count!
