Why you should crave being uncomfortable

David Goggins grew up suffering from abuse, poverty, racism, health issues, and self-doubt. In this remarkable book, he talks about the specific steps he took throughout this life to be become a Navy SEAL, elite ultra-distance athlete, and pull-up world record holder. He completely rewired his brain to crave being uncomfortable, learning, and pushing himself beyond average limitations.

Here are the key insights from the title Can’t Hurt Me.

MINDSET & LESSONS

Anybody can become a totally different person and achieve the impossible, but it takes a lot of heart and an armored / calloused mind.

Never trust a smile or judge a scowl.

It’s OK to be cruel to yourself: you’re doing it to become better and we all need thicker skin to improve in life.

“I brainwashed myself into craving discomfort. I developed an obsession for learning.”

No matter how bad the drama, pain, and torture of life gets, all bad things end.

The ticket to victory comes down to bringing your very best when you feel the worst.

Stop seeing yourself as the victim of bad circumstances and start seeing your life as the ultimate training ground.

To develop an armored mind, you need to go to the source of all your fears and insecurities.

Create a mental “Cookie Jar,” which lists all your past victories and becomes a source of energy/hope to snack on during hard times.

We settle as individuals, teach our children to settle, and then entire communities settle for less than the best version of themselves.

Start regularly asking yourself the question, what am I capable of?

When people talk us out of going after our dreams, sometimes they genuinely believe it’s for own good. So, we need to build a system that constantly reminds us of true passions and goals.

Our world is filled with insecure, jealous people that are terrified of failure - and our own success. Our light reflects on the walls they’ve built up around themselves.

You never know who you’re affecting: moments and results that appear meaningless may open up new possibilities for others.

“If you want to master the mind and remove your governor, you’ll have to become addicted to hard work.”

Very few people enjoy working on their weaknesses.

A true leader never looks down on the weakest link. She fights for her team, is one of the best, and helps the team find their best, too.

“It takes great strength to be vulnerable enough to put your ass on the line, in public, and work toward a dream that feels like it’s slipping away.”

SCIENCE & SERVICE

When kids with toxic stress and learning disabilities grow up, they have an increased risk for depression, heart disease, obesity, cancer, smoking, alcoholism, and drug abuse.

The SEALs are about pride, dignity, excellence - getting beat down and going back for more.

“On the toughest day of the hardest week in the world’s toughest training, Boat Crew Two was moving at lightning speed and making a mockery of Hell Week.”

“I was about to finish Hell Week at the top of my class, and for the first time, I knew I was a bad motherfucker.”

Accept pain as natural process, refuse to give in, and engage the sympathetic nervous system, which shifts your hormonal flow.

Average person thinks 2,000-3,000 thoughts per hour, and most people don’t bother to control their thoughts/doubts, which means we’re slaves to our own minds.

Visualize yourself overcoming an obstacle and what that looks/feels like, but remember that never compensates for doing the work, too.

The 40% Rule: we give up at 40% effort. To give 100%, you have to stretch your pain tolerance, and let go of your current identify and self-limiting stories. Don’t give up on commitments and sell your own happiness short!

“If you audit your life, skip the bullshit, and use backstops, you’ll find time to do everything you need and want to do. But remember that you also need rest, so schedule that in.”