These are my notes on the book Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.
We Are Capable of Much More than We Think
The overall takeaway of this book is that we underestimate our capabilities, assuming that our potential is limited. With all the stories he tells in the book, like when he was breaking the world records in pull-ups 😁, he shows that we can achieve much more than we think.
Mindset Trick: Get Outside Your Comfort Zone to Get Stronger and Driven
Goggins mentions an idea that every time we do something outside our comfort zone, we get stronger, while every time we don’t do something because we feel uncomfortable, we get weaker. This starts with the smallest things, like washing the dishes because we’re lazy at that moment.
He brings up the trick to trying to realize when you say no to something, like washing the dishes, and then making yourself aware that this is making you weaker. This trick actually helped me the first weeks after reading the book. Let’s see if this continues 😁
My Own Realization to Add to That:
I realized recently that often drive comes from accomplishments, such as accomplishments come from drive. Let’s say you get up and you finish your cold shower, this gives you drive. After you finish your first work task, again your drive goes up. I started to use the same trick for this.
Every time I feel lazy to do a task, I make myself aware that just by doing this one task, I will get more drive again to do another one. However, if now I follow my laziness and don’t do it, I will lose even more drive. This is crucial, especially in the morning when your drive is still at 0.
Maybe I will write an extra article on this.
When You’re Down, Think of Your Cookie Jar
Whenever you feel down or demotivated, think of your ‘cookie jar’ – a metaphorical place where you store all your past successes and positive memories. These reminders serve as a source of strength and motivation in those times.
Be Uncommon Among the Uncommon
Goggins’ message is clear: strive to be uncommon among the uncommon. It’s easy to be uncommon among common people, but being uncommon even among the overachievers, is way harder than that. It’s not just about being different, but about constantly pushing beyond your perceived limits and embracing discomfort. By doing so, we unlock a reservoir of drive and strength that we never knew we had.