"Can't hurt me" by David Goggins
David Goggins' life story is told in "Can't Hurt Me," which begins at his lowest points and moves along the wonderful route to achievement. The author takes the reader through Goggins' early upbringing and the source of his uncertainties and concerns to help the reader understand why he got so preoccupied with pushing himself and overcoming enormous challenges.
Goggins talks of his father's abuse of him and his eventual escape from him, as well as his life amid tremendous poverty and suffering in rural America. His youth and teens were marred by a developing sense of uncertainty and trauma brought on by these experiences.
He was "barely literate" as a result of the toxic stress and childhood trauma that affected his academic achievement. Goggins turned to food for solace when he had no clear strategy and had to face his demons. This habit quickly turned into an obesity problem because at one time he weighed close to 300 pounds.
The turning point for Goggins was his choice to join the Navy SEALs after viewing a documentary about this special operations force. His weight was the issue—he was 109 pounds over the squad's maximum—and this was the start of his remarkable transformation.
He became a SEAL, shed over 100 pounds in three months, and kept pushing himself by competing in other athletic and endurance events. Goggins established various endurance event records before becoming a world champion in pull-ups, among other things. According to Outside magazine, he is "The Fittest (Real) Man in America."
How did Goggins accomplish such extraordinary results? To push himself past the breaking point, he used self-accountability and the ability to accept pain and suffering. His "40% rule" illustrates how we typically only realize a small part of our true potential and provides doable advice on overcoming discomfort, anxiety, and mental tiredness.
To rouse you up and test your will and resolve, Goggins employs plain language and gives the impression that a "military commander" is screaming at you from the rooftops. You won't be apathetic about it.