Key Messages
Discover How David Goggins Transformed His Life Into One Of The Fittest People On The Planet
Meet the world’s most determined man: David Goggins, an extraordinary individual with a remarkable life story.
From his traumatic childhood growing up in a violent and abusive household, to getting into shape at 25 and becoming one of the fittest soldiers in the world, Goggins has managed to defy all odds and achieve the near-impossible.
Thanks to Goggins’ searing honesty and dedication to never letting excuses get in his way, you too can learn from his example; by reading about how he was able to take back full control of his life and rise up against adversity.
He tells the story of how he overcame all sorts of difficulties – from almost dropping out of military service altogether to completing Badwater 135 – and inspires others to do so as well.
In Can’t Hurt Me, you will be taken on an incredible journey where you can discover just what it takes to become as determined as David Goggins.
A Childhood Of Oppression; An Adult Life Of Overcoming Challenges: The David Goggins Story
David Goggins’ early life was blighted by his violent and demanding father, Trunnis.
From the tender age of 6, David, his mother and his older brother were forced to work at Trunnis’ roller-skating rink almost every night of the week until midnight.
On top of this grueling work schedule, David had to bear witness to his father’s horrific abuse of his mother when she stepped out of line.
Despite the hardships, it could have been worse – Trunnis despised spending money on anything he deemed frivolous, such as medical treatments for David when he contracted an ear infection.
His violence also extended to David and, any time he attempted to intervene as a protector for his mother, he too would get a beating from Trunnis’ belt.
To cover up the bruises left from these beatings, David often had to hide them.
With the help of a kind neighbor and a credit card in her name from unknowing Trunnis, when Goggins was 8 years old him mother bravely took the family away from their horrible situation in New York City and moved them to Indiana where they started anew with freedom from their tormentor and blissfully without witnessing anymore violence between father and child.
Though their newfound freedom was bittersweet due to leaving behind Goggin’s’ older brother who decided stay back with their horrible father despite how cruel he was.
David Goggins Was Labeled A Failure Until He Discovered The Power Of Resilience
Although David Goggins managed to escape his abusive father, the trauma of his past was still very much present in his life.
He and his mother had to start a new life with nothing, living in public housing and scraping by on a part-time job and welfare check.
In time, the pain of those early years began to take its toll.
His hair started falling out, he developed a stutter, and patches of skin discolored.
It became clear that he was suffering from toxic stress as a result of the physical and emotional abuse he had endured.
In addition to this physical pain, toxic stress had also taken a mental toll on David.
The memories of what he experienced were now muddled and confused, making it harder for him to handle traditional schoolwork.
Teachers took note of this mental distress – labeling David as “stupid” – resulting in him having little choice but to cheat just to stay enrolled in school.
It’s an unfortunate reality that David wasn’t able to completely outrun the damage caused by his father’s treatment towards him even after running away from it all those years ago – but thankfully he was eventually able to cut through these difficulties with hard work and determination.
Overcoming Fear And Making The Most Of Life: The Incredible Story Of David’S Transformation
When David Goggins was a young man, fear and disappointment held him back from achieving the greatness he was capable of.
What had started as a dream to join the United States Air Force ended in tragedy when a routine medical test picked up a predisposition to sickle cell anemia and David used it as his excuse to retreat from the military on medical grounds.
Despite having put in tremendous effort pursuing his ambition, David’s fear of failure had made him take the easy way out because swimming challenges scared him.
Even though David knew he should be fighting through these challenges, instead he let fear win out.
After his discharge from the military, things only got worse for David.
He started to fill the void with food and gained over 40 pounds; becoming even more depressed about his future prospects.
He felt crippled by lack of education and skill set and resigned himself towards what felt like a dead-end future.
All of this weighed heavily on his shoulders until one day, things changed – but only after facing that underlying fear head-on!
Goggins Achieves His Dream Of Becoming A Navy Seal Through Dedication And Unyielding Determination
David Goggins was determined to make a change.
After seeing a documentary about Navy SEALS, he was inspired by the mental and physical strength of those recruits and wanted to join their ranks.
His drive to become one of these elite warriors led him on an amazing journey of transformation; he spent the next three months totally transforming his body in order to qualify for the SEAL program.
To do this, Goggins put together an intense fitness regimen that included long stints on an exercise bike, swimming, weights and circuit training as well as running five mile runs into his daily routine.
Over time, this grueling regimen paid off; within two weeks Goggins had lost 25 pounds and after a month he added four-mile runs to his daily schedule.
After pushing himself ever harder towards his goal, Goggins eventually achieved his dream of joining the Navy SEALS.
Simply put, David Goggins changed his life–and his body–in an attempt to become a Navy SEAL.
Through extreme discipline and dedication he managed to bring his ambition into reality and give himself a chance at doing something most people can only dream about.
David Goggins’ Near-Impossible Journey To Finish The Most Difficult Foot Race On Earth
It’s no secret that David Goggins is a Navy SEAL, but what many don’t know is that his most impressive credentials are for ultra running.
In 2005, Goggins began this extreme long-distance running and set out to conquer the San Diego One Day – a 100-mile race through the city with no special training.
It’s no wonder he completed it in under 19 hours!
His next challenge was none other than Badwater 135, a grueling 135-mile race that made up of some of the world’s most challenging elevations and sweltering heat.
Historically, top competitors complete it in under 48 hours.
Thanks to the preparation he put in, Goggins ran Badwater 135 in just 30 hours and came in fifth place!
Clearly, Goggins’ physical capabilities are beyond remarkable.
His perseverance and discipline have enabled him to achieve unprecedented success as an ultra runner —which proves just how dedicated he truly is to pushing himself beyond all limits.
Strive For Success Like David Goggins: Prioritize Hard Work And Win The Morning
Contrary to popular belief, David Goggins’ success was not luck.
It was due to his hard work and dedication.
Goggins often gets asked how others can be as successful as him and his first piece of advice comes down to one thing: a good work ethic.
He believes that true potential only comes from hard work and no matter how much natural talent or passion you may possess, it will always take dedication and resolve to reach the highest level.
Goggins works extremely hard at everything he does – be it training in the gym or during a SEALs mission.
Everything else comes second for him and he is always putting in long hours to get what he wants out of life.
When people tell him they don’t have enough time to put in the required effort, he advises them to ‘win the morning’.
In other words, start your day early in order to find the time; if Goggins can rise before 4 am daily and still fit in 50 miles of cycling, 10 miles of running, and a full-time job by 7 pm every evening, then anyone can do it too.
Wrap Up
In a final summary of Can’t Hurt Me, we learn that David Goggins was able to succeed despite his troubled upbringing, difficult physical challenges and tragedy in his life.
By using the 40 Percent Rule and pushing through the mental barriers of hard work and getting up early in the morning, he was able to overcome these obstacles to become a Navy SEAL and an ultramarathon runner.
For those who want to emulate his success, he teaches us that it starts with going beyond your own limits even when you feel like giving up.
It means pushing yourself past what you think is your limit and taking those extra steps—mentally and physically—to get closer to your goals!
