David Goggins: It's Not About Motivation

1/26/2023

Is Can't Hurt Me Worth a Read?

When Can't Hurt Me was published in December of 2018, a lot of people were like, "Who is this Goggins guy?" I had a bit of an idea after reading Jesse Itzler's book, Living With a SEAL, where Goggins's no nonsense approach, mixed with Itzler's happy go luck personality, made for a fun tale.

Goggins is a former Navy SEAL and Army Ranger. The man weighed almost 300 lbs at one point and miraculously lost 90 of them in a matter of 3 months. But this book isn't about weight loss. It's about the power of the mind.
The stories Goggins tells of SEAL training are brutal, but there are multiple books on the subject, and not a single one attempts to sugarcoat it. Where Goggins goes a step further is digging into the mental mindset that allowed him to get through the training, keep going into Ranger school, and eventually start running ultra marathons.
This book isn't for everyone; some read it and are so turned off by the language that it goes right back on the shelf. However, if you can get past that and appreciate the authenticity with which this is written, you're in for a real treat.

This isn't about getting motivated. Anyone can do that for a short period, but it fades. This is about changing your mind so that when things get tough, you've already made the decision to keep going.

There are a ton of David Goggins motivational videos on YouTube, but here's my favorite for your next workout.

Can You Recommend Other Books Similar To This One?

Of course. For our favorite motivational books, check out this page.

Once there, Jocko Willink's Extreme Ownership and Endure, the new book by Cameron Hanes is where I would start.

Goggins also recently released his second book, titled Never Finished.