Transforming Through Adversity: Key Lessons from David Goggins' 'Can’t Hurt Me

Let me admit, I am not a voracious reader, but I do read books. I am working towards forming a habit of reading, choosing selected books recommended by others or trending ones. "Can’t Hurt Me" by David Goggins was bought by my son. I had no idea about this book before. Among all the books I have read, this one truly inspired me.

I might be going through a phase in my life where I am forced to move from an uncomfortable situation. Am I disrespecting the author, David Goggins, by saying this? If I adapt the key takeaways mentioned in the book to my life, I believe I would be more successful than I am today. Below are the key takeaways from this book, with the most important one being Callusing the Mind. While we may have come across similar concepts in other motivational books, this one helped me relate to them better.

Admitting

There are many reasons why you are not successful or not where you want to be. These could be external or internal, but that's true for everyone. Accepting these hurdles and documenting them is where the solution lies. This list will never end, but understanding and overcoming them one by one is crucial.

Accountablity Mirror

This mirror will show you your insecurities, dreams, and goals. Understand what needs to be done to overcome these challenges. Be unreasonable, don't make excuses for not achieving your goals. Create reasons for achieving them, which might require self-discipline and sacrifices. Keep looking at this accountability mirror to realize what you still need to achieve.

Calloused Mind

The biggest takeaway for me from this book is "Calloused Mind." Only when you step out of your comfort zone regularly can you achieve your goals. You haven’t achieved what you want because you stay in your comfort zone. Achievements don’t happen overnight; break down your goals into phases and achieve them one by one. You may have multiple goals, but keep setting new ones as you accomplish each.

Excellence

In various aspects of life, we interact with people who may not provide the support we expect, such as demanding bosses or uncooperative colleagues. Despite our best efforts, we may not receive appreciation. Instead of blaming others, strive for excellence. Work harder and better than the best. This will win over those with good intentions and leave no option but for those who try to defeat us to admit we did a great job.

Visualize

Having a positive mindset requires visualizing your success, which will motivate you to stay positive. Visualize not only your success but also the hurdles you might face and how you will overcome them. Be clear on why you are doing this, what drives you, and what has calloused your mind. Being prepared with these questions helps control your mind, preventing it from seeking comfort zones.

Cookie Jar

Now that you have listed your weaknesses, obstacles, and goals, and conditioned your mind to move out of the comfort zone, it’s time to check your list of achievements. Note the obstacles you overcame and what you tried repeatedly to achieve. This list, according to David Goggins, is called the Cookie Jar. It helps overcome pain, boredom, and self-doubt, reminding us that we can overcome any obstacles to reach our goals.

Mind Game

Set milestones and, once you achieve one, move to another. Be consistent and keep aiming higher. Though it sounds easy, the main obstacle is our mind, as we are essentially competing against ourselves. Only by being consistent and raising your benchmarks will you succeed.

Compartmentalization

While we have multiple goals, focusing on one task at a time without getting distracted is essential. Avoid distractions like WhatsApp pings that consume unnecessary time. Compartmentalize your day for exercise, work, recreation, and family. Exceptions can be made, but don’t let them become the norm.

Never Be Complacent

Constantly strive to achieve new things. Never feel you have achieved everything in life. Pursue new goals or improve your records. When you are among high achievers, you’ll realize there's still more to achieve. Whatever you accomplish, remember it becomes history, and you need to pursue new goals continuously.

I recommend everyone who read this article to read this book. The author's goals, obstacles, and struggles might differ from ours, but if we can replace his goals with ours and relate to the challenges, we can find inspiration and motivation.