Can’t Hurt Me 

The incredible story of Can’t Hurt Me tells how an overweight man transformed himself into America’s fittest man by mastering his mind and defying all odds. How many times have you promised yourself that you’ll go to the gym tomorrow? Only to discover that when tomorrow arrives, you have an excuse. What would you be able to accomplish if you had no excuses? David Goggins, the author of Can’t Hurt Me book, does not believe in making excuses and has transformed his life through the simple power of his mind.

Childhood was far from innocently playing outside without a care in the world for Goggins. Instead, he was traumatized by an abusive father, as well as extreme prejudice and poverty in rural America. According to statistics, Goggins was doomed to a life of depression and poverty. He defied all odds, however, through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work. He was no longer a depressed, overweight young man with no future.

Can’t Hurt Me book by David Goggins became a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world’s top endurance athletes by committing to losing weight and improving his test scores. He is the only person in history to have completed elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller. But he didn’t stop there; he went on to set records in extreme endurance events and was named The Fittest (Real) Man in America. Goggins shares his incredible story and reveals a path that anyone can follow to push past limits, eliminate fear, and live life to the fullest in Can’t Hurt Me.

CHAPTER 1: THE EARLY LIFE OF GOGGINS

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, who was born in New York in 1975, did not have the typical carefree childhood that many people have. Goggins was a slave to his abusive father instead of playing outside with friends and living innocently among his peers. Trunnis’ father, Trunnis, was a self-made businessman who owned a roller-disco rink; however, in order to keep his business running smoothly, Trunnis forced his family to work at the skating rink almost every night of the week.

Goggins’ job at the tender age of six was to look after the skating shoes. Meanwhile, his mother would prepare dinner on a hot plate in the office, and when the children finished working at around midnight, his mother would put Goggins and his brother to bed in the office as well. The Can’t Hurt Me dance floor, of course, played loud, thumping music until the early hours of the morning, so Goggins hardly slept at night and would frequently fall asleep in class instead.

Goggins’ mother had had enough and took him to Indiana, where they began their new lives together, when he was eight years old. He and his mother, however, had walked into the heart of a racist, rural America, as he would soon discover. He was the only black kid in town, and he quickly became the target of hatred, frequently hearing the n-word hurled at him by neighbors brandishing guns. As he dealt with bullying and poverty, his life did not appear to be improving.

CHAPTER 2: THE ACCOUNTABILITY MIRROR

Goggins met with an Air Force recruiter during his senior year of high school. Can’t Hurt Me book, Goggins regarded this recruiter as a badass capable of pursuing and rescuing downed pilots. He now had a fantasy of joining the Air Force, but it was just that: a fantasy. Joining the Air Force would necessitate skills and education that Goggins did not believe he possessed. To simply pass the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), he would have to relearn everything he had learned over the previous decade.

This realization caused Goggins to despise himself. He took a long look in the mirror and was disgusted with himself. So he shaved his head, refashioned his wardrobe, and took out some Post-It notes. Goggins scribbled on each Post-It the things he needed to do if he ever wanted to pass the ASVAB. He started his notes with simple, doable goals like “clean your room every day” and gradually progressed to more difficult goals like “run x miles this week.” Can’t Hurt Me by Goggins refers to this as an accountability mirror.

To complete his training, Goggins would have to face one of his most difficult tests: swimming. Goggins didn’t see a pool until he was twelve years old, and he was terrified of water. As a result, when he started military training, he became paralysed by fear and failed to overcome his swimming challenges. A routine medical test soon revealed that Goggins was predisposed to a blood disease known as sickle cell anemia. Goggins used this as an excuse to leave the military on medical grounds.

CHAPTER 3: TURNING HIS LIFE AROUND

Can’t hurt me by David Goggins had left the military and was now working as an overnight exterminator in Indian polis, where he weighed an incredible 300 pounds. Goggins recalls entering a filthy restaurant at 4 a.m. to spray for cockroaches. He approached a cockroach nest and struck with his cockroach spray in the center of the nest. Thousands of cockroaches swarmed out of the woodwork and swarmed over him and the room. Goggins began to wonder how he ended up here, 300 pounds and spraying cockroaches for a living, sprinting out of the building, swatting at cockroaches and cursing. Where was he going?

That same morning, Can’t Hurt Me by Goggins arrived home and discovered a TV documentary about the Navy SEALs, the world’s most lethal fighting force with the most rigorous training. He marveled at their mental toughness and determination to keep going as they struggled through mud, sweat, and tears. Before the show even ended, Goggins was calling recruiters across the country to apply for SEALs training, known as BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL).

He also created a new accountability mirror and overcame the depression and negativity that told him he couldn’t do it. Goggins, believe it or not, lost weight and enrolled in the BUD/S 6-month program, which aimed to select 30 of the toughest 120 candidates. The majority of dropouts occur during the third week, dubbed “Hell Week.” Candidates are subjected to extreme life-threatening conditions at sea and are severely sleep-deprived throughout the week. In fact, it is so difficult that many people die during this week.

CHAPTER 4: THE FORTY PERCENT RULE

Can’t Hurt Me by Goggins accomplished his ultimate goal of becoming a Navy SEAL, but he soon found himself yearning for the challenge that training and Hell Week once provided. How could he go any further? Goggins found the answer he was looking for in extreme long-distance running, also known as ultra running, in 2005. For Goggins, he simply woke up one morning and started running for one hundred miles.

Do you think you could run 100 miles if you woke up tomorrow and decided to do it? We’d immediately respond, “No, that’s impossible.” But Can’t Hurt Me by Goggins was determined, and he knew that the only thing standing in his way was his own mind. When several of his fellow Navy SEALs were killed in an Afghan military operation, he became interested in ultra running. To help their families, Goggins decided to combine charity with the world’s toughest footrace, the Bad water 135.

Continue when you feel you’ve given everything you’ve got. When you push past this point, you begin to grow and break down the limitations and barriers that have been holding you back. In the end, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins finished his race in 19 hours and ran an extra mile to ensure he had truly finished. This qualified him for the Bad water 135 ultramarathon in 2006. He’d be running through California’s Death Valley this time, finishing at an elevation of 8,374 feet. Worse, the race takes place in July, when Death Valley is at its hottest. Can’t Hurt Me by Goggins trained this time by carefully studying the terrain and running in the extreme conditions he would face on race day. Goggins finished Bad water 135 in thirty hours and fifth place overall. He was able to push his limits and achieve something incredible thanks to the forty percent rule.

CHAPTER 5: UNCOMMON AGAINST UNCOMMON

Can’t hurt me by David Goggins was thriving after finishing the Bad water 135, entering multiple races a month for months on end. However, as life often does, he was thrown a curveball that forever altered his love of running. Can’t Hurt Me by Goggins noticed an irregular heart rate during one of his races, and a trip to the hospital revealed a lifelong condition: a hole in his heart. The condition is severe, depriving the body of oxygen and can result in sudden death; the risks increase if you are a frequent diver. Goggins had spent the previous decade training as a Navy SEAL, putting his body through the impossible and, of course, diving. Fortunately, his condition had not killed him.

Life will always throw us curve balls and things will fall apart, but it is your reactions to these situations that matter. Goggins was one of only 36 African-Americans to become a Navy SEAL and the only African-American prolific ultra runner in the United States. As he puts it, he became an outlier among outliers. In other words, he had risen to the top 1% of performers and had become one of the few “only.”

Goggins went online and discovered that the World Record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours was only 4,021. He discovered that breaking this record would require him to complete five pull-ups per minute for more than 12 hours. He went back to the drawing board after two failed attempts, one of which was nationally broadcast. On January 20, 2013, Goggins broke the World Record for pull-ups after devising a new strategy.

CHAPTER 6: THE POWER OF OUR MINDS

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins defied all expectations. Goggins was statistically doomed to a life of depression, violence, and unfulfilled potential. Those raised in abusive homes, like Goggins, have higher rates of depression, chronic pain, PTSD, and other mental illnesses. Furthermore, many people turn to smoking, drinking, drugs, and other risky behaviors that can lead to addiction, legal problems, and even death. So, how did he pull it off? Despite being dealt a bad hand in life, Goggins will tell you that it was his daily decisions that enabled him to overcome his obstacles and live a successful life.

So, how do you realize your full potential? There is no secret to success; all you need to do is work hard and commit to your goals. Goggins could hardly read at one point, was a cockroach exterminator, and weighed 300 pounds. He lost weight and studied hard to get into the BUD/S training program simply by getting up and doing it.

Everyone has 24 hours in a day, so it is up to you to make the most of them. You’ll find that once you take control of your mornings, you’ll be more likely to achieve your objectives. But it shouldn’t stop once you’ve accomplished it. Assume your goal is to run a marathon; once you’ve completed it, don’t stop! You should always look forward to your next accomplishment. Consider trying to improve your time or running a few marathons per month. When you are satisfied with something, you remain in that moment and never move on. By pushing your limits and looking for your next accomplishment, you will not only crush your goals, but you will also find peace and happiness knowing that you have lived life to the fullest.

CONCLUSION

Despite growing up in an abusive home, Goggins was able to overcome his traumatic, impoverished childhood by simply working hard and dedicating himself to his goals. He began with his accountability mirror, where he posted his goals on Post-It notes. He was then able to pass the ASVAB and join the military. But Goggins didn’t stop there. He realized his life was going nowhere after failing to overcome his fear of swimming and then gaining weight, so he committed himself to joining the Navy SEALs.

He lost over 100 pounds in three months and was accepted into the training program. Can’t Hurt Me by Goggins learned the power of his mind there. He could keep going even when his body was shutting down if he blocked the pain and told himself anything was possible. With this mindset, Goggins was able to achieve the seemingly impossible and become a successful ultramarathon runner. Of course, you don’t have to run 100 miles; instead, you can achieve your objectives through hard work and getting up early.