Hey, whatsup guys? Are you ready to confront your deepest fears, mantle your mental limits, and unlock your full potential? In this review, I will tell you the ten challenges outlined by David Goggins in his book Can’t Hurt Me to help you discover the extraordinary power within you. I’m gonna tell you every main point in this book so it can help you decide whether you should go for this book or not. Let’s get started.
Can’t Hurt me by David Goggins Overview:
Can’t Hurt Me is a story about the life of David Goggins; he had the worst childhood. You can imagine. His father used to regularly beat him, his brother and his mother with his belt. All three of them had to do hard manual work for their father’s business without getting paid. Imagine being a single parent who had to work hard to get paid for his father’s business without getting paid for a year old going to school and then spending the rest of your day working and living in trauma when David and his mother finally left his father they faced extreme poverty he struggled a lot in school he was bullied he faced racism.
So he had all the reasons and foundations to become a drug addict or a criminal or even to take his own life, but he was very high on the accountability ladder. The physical and mental pain that was a constant in his life made him very strong; he decided to become a U.S. Navy Seal. If you think his childhood was hard, becoming a Navy Seal was equally challenging physically and mentally. He had to lose more than 100 pounds in three months.
He had to study hard to clear the exam and the physical tests, which lasted over several weeks, one of which was rightly called hell week in which he ran with two broken bones and two heart surgeries by tying tape over his struggles in his life continued he went through a divorce two heart surgeries because he had a hole in his heart and many more. However, I cannot relate to Goggins or the hardships he faced.
Age Rating:
“Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins is usually advocated for mature readers because of its themes of overcoming adversity, excessive physical challenges, and personal boom through intellectual toughness.So I recommend the reader must be mature enough to read this who can have proper understanding.
Main Characters:
In “Can’t Hurt Me” the main character is David Goggins himself. As it is a memoir, Goggins is the primary determined round whom the complete story revolves. The book focuses on his lifestyles, experiences, and personal journey, detailing his struggles, triumphs, and the lessons he found out alongside the manner.
Summary of Can’t Hurt Me:
Challenge 1: face your bad hand
This challenge emphasises the importance of acknowledging your past difficulties to gain strength for future challenges. He shares his own childhood struggles. He grew up in an offensive household where he faced physical and emotional challenges at a young age. He is a man who his father has abused. He also deals with school difficulties, where he fails due to his family’s nighttime work schedule at a roller skating rink.
“You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft, that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.”
David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Goggins’ mother’s determination and support helped him overcome some hurdles he faced prejudice and struggled academically due to a lack of proper resources. He grew up in poverty, and his mother faced financial hardships; they relied on meagre welfare checks and odd jobs to get by. These problematic circumstances, coupled with the toxic stress of his childhood.
This significantly impacted Goggins’s development, which affected his ability to learn and cope. To confront obstacles, he suggests taking action by reflecting on past and present challenges through journaling. He encourages individuals to list difficult experiences, both past and current.
Challenge 2: set up your accountability mirror
The second challenge teaches us the importance of breaking massive desires into small steps and working continuously closer to them. When he grew up, he encountered racism, feeling the ache of discrimination deeply. He struggled in college, relied on cheating and confronted challenges in pursuing his dream of joining the Air Force. One day, he appeared inside the mirror and noticed someone who needed to trade to obtain his goals. He used submit-annoying notes to write down his insecurities and desires.
| Publisher | Lioncrest Publishing |
| Publishing Date | First published November 15, 2018 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 366 Pages |
| Title | Can’t Hurt me |
| Genre | Self Help, Nonfiction. Biography. Personal Development, Psychology, Memoir |
| ISBN-10 | 1544512287 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1544512280 |
He confronted his shortcomings, even the harsh truths, and used them as motivation to improve. Goggins set specific, manageable tasks on these notes, placed them on his mirror, and made himself paintings on them daily. By going through his insecurities and dreams head-on, he converted his life. He studied hard, advanced his reading talents, and focused on his physical health.
He sooner or later handed the Air Force access. Look at proving that everybody can conquer barriers with willpower and a plan. To apply this challenge to your lifestyle, create your very own accountability mirror. Please write down your insecurities, goals, and dreams on Post-it notes. Break these goals into small steps and stick to them for your reflection. Each day, you work on accomplishing these steps. And don’t forget, don’t shy away from the truth, be honest with yourself to gasoline your progress.
Challenge 3: Get used to discomfort
With his third challenge, Goggins educates us on the importance of going through pain to obtain our desires. He posits that sometimes, we must do matters we dislike or locate uncomfortable to transport ahead. Goggins learned this lesson throughout his time in the Air Force and even striving to become a Navy SEAL. See, whilst he desired to be a pararescue an inside the Air Force, he had to learn to swim, a talent he lacked.
Despite his worry and doubts, he practiced hard. Later, trying to enroll in the Navy SEALs, he needed to lose weight and enhance his health. He pushed himself to run, swim, and work out, even when it became hard. Whenever he felt like giving up, he reminded himself of his cause and kept going. To follow this undertaking for your lifestyles, start by writing down things that make you uncomfortable or tasks you dislike. Pick one and try doing it often. It could be something associated with your lifestyle or your life.
If you do not love it, strive to do it frequently. If you don’t adore it, try doing it each day. And because it gets easier, it makes it tougher. For instance, if you dislike jogging, start with a short distance and progressively increase it. Remember, going through discomfort is a part of the adventure to success. By building your pain tolerance, you’ll be better ready to tackle challenges and attain your goals.
Don’t let pain keep you again. Instead, use it as a stepping stone toward your goals.
Challenge 4. Best your opponent
This challenge is all about learning how to overcome self-doubt and prove our worth, especially when faced with opponents like difficult bosses or unsupportive teachers. Goggins shares his experience from Hell Week during Navy SEAL training, where recruits face intense challenges and verbal pressure. To succeed, Goggins devised strategies.
First, understanding the schedule of events to prepare mentally, and second, motivating his team to find their inner strength when exhaustion set in. He called this process taking souls, using negative energy from opponents to fuel exceptional performance and gain respect. You can apply this lesson in your life, too. Identify a challenge or competitive situation, pinpoint the opponent, like a micromanaging boss or a doubting teacher, and choose a project to showcase your skills.
Channel the negative energy into excelling at your task, whether in the field or the field. If you’re a competitive player, you can use this challenge to help your opponent, whether studying harder or practicing more. You aim to amaze your opponent and exceed their expectations.
Challenge 5: Visualize success
Do you remember that time you were thinking about acing the job interview? Well, this challenge is all about using the power of visualization to overcome obstacles and achieve success. Goggins shares his experience recovering from a broken kneecap during SEAL training, highlighting how he used visualization to push through the pain and doubts.
“If you want to master the mind and remove your governor, you’ll have to become addicted to hard work. Because passion and obsession, even talent, are only useful tools if you have the work ethic to back them up.”
David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
After returning home due to his injury, Goggins faced uncertainty about becoming a father and merging his life in Indiana with SEAL training in California. Despite his doubts, he selected to hold schooling, tapping his sheens to bear the extreme jogging required. When self-doubt crept in, he encouraged it, reminding himself that quitting was the only true failure.
He visualized the sense of achievement he might experience upon finishing the training. To practice this approach, visualize your challenges and the emotions of achievement. Anticipate difficulties, prepare for them, and develop a clear reason for your goal.
Challenge 6: Stock your cookie jar
When you face challenging times, it is easy to forget your strengths. David Goggins suggests building a mental cookie jar filled with your past successes. This jar serves as a reminder of your abilities and boosting your confidence, creating challenges. Imagine having a jar filled with cookies representing your achievements. When life gets hard, reach into your metaphorical jar and savour the sweet taste of your accomplishments.
By recalling your victories, you can find the courage to keep going, no matter how tough things get. During an exhausting 100-mile race, Goggins used his cookie jar. Because of injuries and extreme fatigue, he remembered his past triumphs. Now, he draws strength from his mental cookie jar during difficult times. How can you create your cookie jar?
1 Write down victories. Record your major achievements, such as completing a challenging project or learning a new skill. 2 Note your obstacles. Document the hurdles you’ve overcome, like conquering a fear or overcoming a tough time. 3 Start a new career. 4 Stay inspired. When you feel like giving up, remember your victories. Revisit the joy of those moments to fuel your determination.
Challenge 7: Dismantle your governor.
Just like cars have a speed limit, humans have a mental limit called the governor. It tells us when to stop, especially when things get tough, but breaking through this limit can lead to outstanding achievements. So, how can you break this limit? Let’s say you are running. When you feel tired, try to go a little more. Gently push yourself beyond your comfort zone. This gradual progress helps you adapt without getting hurt. Goggins mastered this technique during his intense training. He ran in the Hurt 100, a challenging Hawaiian race with steep trails to qualify for a tooth race.
He pushed himself by setting small goals because of difficulties like a broken water reservoir and leg pain. Instead of quitting, he divided the race into manageable chunks, proving he could go beyond his limits. To apply it to yourself, follow these steps:
- Start small. Do something you’re comfortable with, like jogging for 15 minutes.
- Push a bit more. When you feel tired, convince yourself to go for two more minutes.
- Challenge your mind. Use this approach in tasks like studying. Convince yourself to look a bit longer than usual.
Challenge 8: Compile your mind
Success is for more than just the naturally talented. It is for those who dedicate time to improve every day. People often say they waste time on essential things like exercise, but if you observe
closely, many waste hours on unproductive stuff like watching TV or social media scrolling. When he became famous for his ultra-races, his life became busier daily.
Although. He managed his time wisely and took up recruiting, aiming to bring more diversity to the Navy SEALs. In less time, he found ways to balance work, training, and family. If you want to be better at time management, follow these steps.
- Track your day: For a week, note how you spend each 15 to 30 minutes.
- Identify time-wasting activities.
- Plan your time: In the second week, schedule each chunk of time. Dedicate specific slots to exercise.
- Plan your time: Dedicate specific slots to exercise and rest. Avoid multitasking.
- Refine your schedule: In the third week, fine-tune your plan based on your experience.
- Maximize productive hours without sacrificing sleep.
Challenges 9 and 10: Learn from failure and seek greatness.
Failing can scare us to try again, but failure is an opportunity to learn. Just think about a recent failure and ask yourself what you did well. How did I handle the failure? How did it affect my relationships and life? Recognize what you did right and list things you could do differently. Feel free to try again once you achieve a goal. Don’t stop there.
Keep challenging yourself to achieve greatness. For example, if you run a half marathon, try longer distances or different types of running; don’t settle for what others do. Keep pushing your limits and setting new challenges to stand out. After Navy SEAL training, Goggins wanted to join the Army Ranger training to enhance his skills. He attempted to break the world record for pull-ups. Although he failed twice, he kept trying until he succeeded and broke the record with 4,030 pull-ups.
Are you ready to embrace these challenges and push yourself towards achieving your goals?
My Review:
This book is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. It changed my way of living and made me a person with a positive mind. I gained a lot from this book. For example, the 40 Rule Goggins says that when we are doing something hard physically and feel that we have reached our limits and are ready to give up, we are just giving about 40 percent of our mind. We give up way before our body’s limits. When I worked out and did a plank, I used to hold it for ten deep breaths and then give up.
That was my limit, but now, I think of the 40 rule and push myself to keep it for 20 deep breaths. Also, at other times, when I feel that I’m going through something hard or finding excuses for not doing something, I think of what the Goggins would do, and that helps me to push myself and stop making these excuses. One thing I liked about this book is that at the end of every chapter, there is a one-page challenge to help you apply the lesson from that chapter to your life.
For example, at the end of one of the early chapters in the book, there’s a challenge called accountability mirror, so if you feel like you’re making excuses in your life or becoming a victim of your circumstances, It would help if you had a jolt to awaken, push yourself, and take control of your life; this book is for you.
Conclusion:
Although this book was terrific and the struggle story of the author was unique, I had never listened to a complex work story of a person like this. We should also work hard like him and achieve goals in our lives. This book is one of the best motivational books, and everyone considering quitting should read his work. When you read this, you will regain your strength again and have the power to work more efficiently. Get this book as soon as you can. This can change your life entirely as mine.