In 2022 I have set a personal goal of reading 19 books. At 12 days into the year I am happy to announce I have finished my first book of the year. To my fellow readers I hope you enjoy reading these posts as I chop down at my goal for 2022 as I'll be writing one post after finishing each book. This allows me to not only share my thoughts with you but gives me a reference to my future self on how a book made me respond.
David Goggins is an interesting person. Even saying that is an understatement. In my eyes David Goggins determination is as infectious as you could ever possibly imagine. His book, "Can't Hurt Me" details some of his experiences through his life that got him to the point where he is today. He holds a myriad of achievements the typical person can't even imagine ever receiving. What sets him apart to me from the crowd is his genuine passion for uplifting others. On one end you can read this book and interpret it as "Hey, look at all the cool sh*t I've done" but it's so much more than that. David Goggins loves to flirt with the boundaries we tend to set on ourselves in order to show everyone that the unthinkable is achievable if you just work at it. The whole reason he does what he does is to inspire others! Isn't that amazing?! I love to uplift others and to see someone do it at the scale he does is truly amazing.
Prior to reading this book my only real exposure to Goggins was through his relationship with Joe Rogan. As an avid listener of the JRE podcast I figured I would finally get myself to read this book and I'm glad I did. While I feel it is better oriented towards an individual that is lacking motivation, I recommend it to anyone who struggles with putting limits on what you think you can achieve. Just because you're the intern it doesn't mean you can't speak at the meeting. Just because you burned the first few chicken breasts you ever tried cooking, it doesn't mean you can't be an excellent cook. Humans have the tendency to get addicted to negative behaviors such as this and even I'm guilty of it. For a long while I struggled at being able to bench 225lbs and it was all in my head. I know that because for almost a year I cruised along the coast of 220lbs for multiple repetitions and yet I failed every single time I tried to do 5lbs more. I gave myself a mental block. I wanted to sail out into the ocean but I was blinded at the fact I my boat wasn't even in the water. It wasn't until I gave myself blinders and walked into the gym with a "I don't care if this bar comes crashing down into me" attitude that I was able to achieve the glorious 225lbs.
Pictured is an image of what Navy Seal Training looks like.
Motivation is a funny thing in that everyone wants it and you can't buy it. It's a rare commodity to some. They say you're the average sum of the five people closest to you and if that's true then there might be some truth that you're the average sum of the top things you expose yourself to. Watch the news for hours on end and watch yourself become an anxious mess. This is why it's important to have people like Goggins. Expose yourself to individuals like him who push you to be a better version of yourself and watch how quickly you'll evolve as a person. If you read the book you'll see how hard it was for Goggins to achieve his goal of earning the trident (the symbol of a US Navy Seal). He failed over and over but still got it done. When the barrel of defeat is pointed at your face you cannot allow yourself to flinch. Adapt. Learn. Move on.
I can really talk about these sorts of topics for hours on end but I'll start closing this down so you can go back to your life but if there's any takeaway that you can get from this book it's this: Life is a rollercoaster that has many unexpected turns, mechanical errors, and truly the unthinkable but the way in which you react will determine the quality of your life. If you set your mind to something and deny the failures you experience the opportunity to bring you to a halt, you will surprise the world and yourself at what you can accomplish.
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