Can't Hurt Me

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins is a book which describes the journey of a black American boy born in almost broken home, abusive father and a mother who was barely holding the things together into becoming the hardest man God ever created. It comes with the prescriptions to come out of your comfort zone, take the challenges and transform your life. Each chapter covers a part of his journey and comes up with a challenge in the end.

Chapter One - I should have been a statistic - Gives an overview of his household conditions and takes up a bold decision to leave his father. David moved to Brazil with his mother. “Those raised in abusive households have an increased probability of being arrested as a juvenile by 53% and their odds of committing a violent crime as adults are increased by 38%.” Rather than being the part of the statistic, David decided to fight, take that pain and move.

Chapter Two –Truth Hurts -  David tells the challenges they face in new town. David came up with ACCOUNTABILITY MIRROR – to see yourself as it is and take action to change. “Being soft when you look in the mirror isn’t going to inspire the wholesale changes, we need to shift our present and open up our future.”

Chapter Three – The Impossible Task - Where Goggins decided to go for SEAL training, prepare for tests – physical as well as mental. He had less than 3 months to lose 106 pounds, write ASVAB exam and train hard. “I had to choose between physical suffering and the mental anguish of wondering if that one missed pull up, that last lap in the pool and quarter mile I skipped would end up costing me an opportunity of lifetime.” All he knew was to take the pain and get to the purpose.

Chapter Four – Taking Souls – As he gets to SEAL training, Goggins had to go through some of the harsh and brutal tests. Hell week was one such test which required top notch mental and physical strength. He comes up with Taking souls concept – finding your own reserve power, mindgame you play with yourself – by laughing at that pain, suffering – take that second wind and ride through it. Be it any situation –at gym, in office, preparing for competition.

Chapter Five – Armored Mind - After getting multiple injuries post Hell week, David has doubts that whether he was willing to give the test again, dilemma going on in personal life and having financial issues. The idea of armored mind came up –a mindset so calloused and hard that it becomes bulletproof –you need to go to the source of all your fears and insecurities. Identify and accept those weak spots and stop running from past. David passed SEAL after 3 attempts and suffering the Hell Week thrice.

Chapter Six – It’s not about a trophy - From army missions, losing friends and collecting wounds David describes in this chapter on how he decided to raise funds for his fellow soldiers who lost their lives and fund the education of their children. He describes the 100 mile run he completed with almost no training. “ Its funny , humans tend to hatch our must challenging goals and dreams, the ones that demand our greatest effort yet promise absolutely nothing, when we are tucked in our comfort zones.” COOKIE JAR concept – Think of small accomplishments use it to ignite the big ones.  “Because in heat of battle we need to draw inspiration to push through our own exhaustion, depression, pain and misery.”

Chapter Seven  - The most powerful weapon –Here, he describes his training and actual Badwater marathon and HURT 100 incident and how he came up with the idea of 40% rule. “The bottom line is life is a big mindgame. The only person you are playing against is yourself.” Goggins describes his own laws of nature as – We will be made fun of, feel insecure, not best all the time, face racism, feel alone – GET OVER IT. Grab a cookie, take accountability.

Chapter Eight – Talent not required - It highlights the importance of schedule and auditing that again and again. From SEAL to training and participating in Triathlete tournament. David was diagnosed with ASD which required surgery. David was shattered by body this time. “Evaluate your life in totality – you would find time for more work and less to waste.”

Chapter Nine - Uncommon amongst Uncommon – Taking up new challenges from SEAL to Ranger School, and Delta forces, participating in triathlete tournaments and marathons like Hurt 100, Badwater – All Goggins wanted was to be uncommon amongst uncommon. “All of us are torn between comfort and performance, between settling for mediocrity or being willing to suffer in order to become our best self, all the time.” David advices to choose uncommon amongst uncommon always and callous your mind. E.g. Not only getting into Wharton but getting ranked #1 in your class.

Chapter Ten – The empowerment of Failure- Here, he describes about the pull up challenge (to complete more than 4020 pull ups in 24 hours). David worked with all his heart, mind soul and describes how from failing twice, finger muscles destroyed and mentally exhausted, he came back and set a new world record – 4030. He describes the whole event –from having muscle breakdown to rhabdomolysis, David moved beyond rationality in that moment. “You can’t prepare for unknown factors, but if you have a better pre-game focus, you will likely only have to deal with one or two rather ten.” “There is no gift as inevitable or overlooked as failure.” “Your entitled mind is dead weight. Cut it loose. Take aim on what you are willing to earn.” There is a lot of potential in that moment of pain. This chapter gets out of what humans can do by creating a positive lollapalooza of mental, physical and emotional strength.

Chapter Eleven –What if covers mainly the present aspect of his life, at 43, retired from SEAL and BUD/S and Ranger school graduate- completed more than 60 ultra distance races, went on battlefield damaged his body beyond repair but David being that uncommon amongst uncommon has now joined as fire fighter.

WHAT IF is the power and permissions to face down your darkest demons, your very worst memories and accept them as part of history “I was the sum total of the obstacles I’d overcome.” “When you push beyond your perceived capability, mind sends you to spin cycle of doubt and panic, but when you persist past that point, that pain fully saturates, boundaries dissolve and you feel connected to yourself.” What if is the question that you should ask yourself in case of self doubt.

This book takes us through the journey and establishes a connection that can be felt on every page, every word you read. Journey of David the kid to being David the toughest creature God ever created. To sum up as David says and I quote – “To exist in this world, we must contend with humiliation, broken dreams, sadness and loss. That’s just nature. If it’s coming to you can’t stop it.” Just take up these challenges, become anti fragile because these externalities CAN’T HURT ME.

 

Challenges – Journal what you feel. Give your pain shape and absorb it to reshape. See yourself in the ACCOUNTABILITY MIRROR everyday –write your dream, goals, and insecurities and destroy them by taking little steps with brutal honesty. 

To move towards a CALLOUSED MIND – start with journaling your weaknesses, what makes you uncomfortable and do that repeatedly, in small steps. 

Take those SOULS by dominating everything you do by WORKING HARDER and GET THE WORK DONE and SMILE AT PAIN. VISUALIZE your goal, challenges and how will you get past those challenges. 

Take inventory of your COOKIE JAR, a shortcut to take control of your own thought process. Write it all in your journal and act. 

Remove the GOVERNOR FROM BRAIN and HIT next 60% remaining in the tank. Take accountability of your UNDERPERFOMANCE. 

Look at whole life, LIST OBLIGATIONS and put a TIMESTAMP on them. 

Go for GREATNESS, be UNCOMMON AMONGST UNCOMMON. 

FAILURE and TACTICAL REVIEW – Write out all good things from failure, review it with brute honesty and fix things which can be fixed –USE ACCOUNTABILITY MIRROR, COOKIE JAR, 40% RULE, CALLOUSED MIND and what you have learned so far and EXECUTE.

A must read for any individual as it not only aspires you to push towards your maximum limits but the drive of madness which David carries towards his goals. No matter how harsh situations get, You Can't Hurt Me !