David Goggins - Uncommon Among Uncommon
David Goggins is an American ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, public speaker, and author. He is a retired United States Navy SEAL and former the United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party member who served in the Iraq War. His memoir, Can't Hurt Me, was released in 2018.?
The journey of how an ordinary abused child with learning disabilities has transformed himself into the world's first-class athlete, Navi SEAL, ultra-marathoner, public speaker, and many others serves as an exceptional motivational book.
The couching and self motivational techniques Goggins shares with us are not any new. But the fact that he has actually overcome all these life obstacles and demonstrated incredible mental and physical resilience, gives the story an unlikely appeal.
Don’t meet the standard, be the standard! Stay hard! - David Goggins' story touches the heart and soul.
Accountability Mirror
Real changes start with acknowledging the current factors which limit our growth and success. Accountability Mirror is Goggins' method of setting the goals, writing them on post-it notes, and tagging them to the mirror. The mirror serves as a way to be brutally honest with ourselves and check how our insecurities, dreams, and goals progress. To gain confidence, we should make sure to work toward the goal and don't shy away from the mirror.
Outside the Comfort Zone
Step outside your comfort zone on a regular basis. Write down all the things you don't like to do or that make you uncomfortable. Go to one of them, and do it again. Doing things that make you uncomfortable will make you strong.
Taking Souls
Goggins recalls the breakthrough moment from Navy SEAL training day to describe his Taking Souls technique.
Taking Souls is a metaphor to describe how one can overcome the obstacles, surpass the maximum expectations, overperform and destroy the competition through grit and determination, without complaining and self pity.
Takins Souls is a ticket to finding your own reserve power and riding a second wind.
It's a mind game you're playing on yourself.
Taking someone's soul means you've gained a tactical advantage.
You must do your homework: know the terrain you're operating in, when and where you can push boundaries, and when you should fall in line.
Know why you're in the fight to stay in the fight.
No tolerance for self doubt
No matter the task at hand, there is always an opportunity for self-doubt. Whenever you decide to follow a dream or set a goal, you are just as likely to come up with all the reasons why the likelihood of success is low.
You can tolerate doubt as a backseat driver, but if you put doubt in the pilot's seat, defeat is guaranteed.
Visualization
Visualize! The average person thinks 2000-3000 thoughts per hour. Rather than focusing on bullshit, you cannot change, imagine visualizing the things you can.
Set a goal and visualize overcoming or achieving it. But visualization is not simply daydreaming of some trophy ceremony. You must always visualize the challenges that are likely to arise and determine how you will attack those problems.
Cookie Jar
Don't just write down your achievement hit list. Include life obstacles you've overcome as well. Try to beat your best. When the pain hits and tries to stop you short of your goal, dunk your fist in, pull out a cookie, and let it fuel you!
40% Rule
Most of us give up when we've only given around 40% of our maximum effort. We still have 60% more to give!
It's simply a matter of stretching all your self-limiting stories, so you can get to 60%, then 80%, and beyond without giving up.
Gradual improvements
Get to the point where you are so tired and in pain that your mind is begging to stop. Then push just 5 to 10 percent further. This will allow your body and mind to slowly adapt to your new workload and reset the baseline.
The bottom line is that life is one big mind game. The only person you are playing against is yourself. Stick with this process and soon what you thought was impossible will be something you do every fucking day of your life.
Don't settle for a 40 hour workweek. There are 168 hours in a week.
Killing Empty Habits
Schedule it in! 3-week challenge.
During week one, go about your normal schedule, but take notes.
In week two, build an optimal schedule. Lock everything into place in 15-30 minutes block. When you work, only work on one thing at a time.
By week 3, you should have a working schedule that maximizes your effort without sacrificing sleep.
Constant Pursuit
Greatness is not something that if you meet once it stays with you forever.
If you truly want to become uncommon among uncommon, it will require sustaining greatness for a long period of time. It requires staying in constant pursuit and putting out unending effort.
It is much more difficult task when you are a wolf surrounded by wolves.
Failure
Think about your most recent and most heart-wrenching failures.
Fill your own AAR (After Action Report)
Write out all the good things from your failures. Note how you handled your failure. Make a list of things you can fix.
Be brutally honest.
When it comes time to execute, keep everything we have learned about the power of the calloused mind, the Cookie Jar, and 40% Rule in the forefront of your mind.
Control your mindset. Dominate your thought process. This life is all a fucking game. Realize that! Own it!
And if you fail again, so the fuck be it. Take the pain. Repeat these steps and keep fighting. That's what it's all about.