Book Review: Can't Hurt Me By David Goggins

Can't Hurt Me Summary

Goggin's Early Life

Goggins did not have the ordinary carefree childhood that most people had; he was born in New York in 1975. Goggins spent his childhood enslaved to his violent father, missing out on simple playtime outside and among his contemporaries. His father, Trunnis, was an entrepreneur who built his fortune from the ground up. He had a roller disco, but in order to keep things running properly, he made his family work there nearly every night.

Taking care of the skating shoes was Goggins' responsibility when he was just six years old. Goggins and his brother would also go to bed in the workplace with their mother after a long day of work, since his mother would prepare dinner on a hot plate there. Naturally, Goggins hardly slept at night and often dozed off in class instead due to the loud, thumping music played on the dance floor into the early hours of the morning.

In addition to working night shifts at the skating rink, Goggins' abusive father used him as a punching bag. He and his mother were both brutally beaten frequently, often for insignificant offenses. When Goggins was a kid, his mom was a good parent and took him to the doctor when he got a terrible ear infection. As a businessman, Trunnis despised it when his family wasted money, regardless of if it endangered his children's health. Goggins saw his father belt his mother until she was dumbfounded when he returned. His father would also strike him whenever he tried to step in. He concealed his father's belt's welts and bruises from school too frequently.

Goggins' mother finally had enough when he was eight years old, so she whisked him away to Indiana and they began a new life together. Unfortunately, he and his mother had ventured into the heart of a racist rural America, as he would discover in due course. Because he was the only Black child in town, he became the object of widespread bigotry; his angry neighbors would frequently brandish weapons and spit the n-word at him. It appeared like his life was going from bad to worse as he dealt with poverty and bullying.

Things got even worse for Goggins as he started to feel the aftereffects of his childhood trauma. He began to stutter nervously, lose hair, and acquire discolored patches on his skin as a result of the trauma he endured at his father's hands. As an adult, Goggins understood that he was experiencing toxic stress, although he was confused about why it was happening when it was happening. This disorder manifests itself when the brain chemistry of severely abused children changes, leaving them in a chronic state of "fight or flight." The cumulative effect of Goggins's traumatic experiences had put his nervous system and brain on a continual state of high alert.

Toxic stress causes memory loss in youngsters, and even the brightest students will have trouble retaining classroom material. Goggins began cheating in fourth grade after being placed in a special needs classroom. Although he made some progress in his grades, Goggins' education was severely lacking; by the time he was entering his teenage years, he could hardly read.

The Accountability Mirror 

Goggins had a meeting with an Air Force recruiter while he was a high school student. Goggins believed this recruiter was a kickass pararescue jumper who could bring downed pilots home by jumping after them. At this point, his desire to enlist in the Air Force was merely that: a desire. Goggins didn't believe he had the skills or education necessary to join the Air Force. He would have to re-study all he has learnt in the last ten years just to pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB).

Goggins hated himself after this knowledge. He looked at himself in the mirror for a long time and was repulsed by his transformation. In response, he rearranged his closet, shaved his head, and retrieved some Post-It notes. Goggins meticulously documented all the necessary steps to successfully pass the ASVAB on individual Post-It notes. Starting with simple, doable goals like "Clean your room every day," he worked his way up to more challenging ones like "Run x miles this week." According to Goggins, this serves as a reflection of responsibility.

His fortunes began to flip when he used the accountability mirror. He established a daily habit of facing the mirror and reiterating his objective to himself. Never letting a day go by without making progress towards his objectives, he studied and trained relentlessly. There were a lot of things going against Goggins, but he still thought he could make a difference in his future. Goggins eventually made it through the ASVAB and was en route to enlisting in the military.

But swimming—one of Goggins' most challenging exercises—was necessary for him to finish his training. Due to his severe phobia of water, Goggins did not come into contact with a pool until he was twelve years old. Fear stopped him and he failed to overcome his swimming issues when he began military training. Not long after that, Goggins' susceptibility to sickle cell anemia was exposed by a normal medical test. This was the rationale that Goggins used to withdraw from the military, citing health concerns.

Making a U-turn in His Life

Goggins, who weighed an incredible 300 pounds, was now working as a nocturnal exterminator in Indianapolis after quitting the military. Getting inside a filthy restaurant to spray for cockroaches is something Goggins remembers doing at 4 a.m. He approached a cockroach nest, hit it square in the middle with his insect spray, and then left it alone. All of a sudden, a swarm of thousands of cockroaches emerged from the woodwork and smothered him and the entire room. As Goggins sprinted out of the building, he swatted at insects and cursed. He began to wonder how he had gotten to be 300 pounds and make a profession by spraying cockroaches.

When Goggins returned home that morning, he happened into a TV documentary on the Navy SEALs, the world's most elite fighting group known for its extreme training. You have to be top-tier to join the SEALs. He was astounded by their mental fortitude and resolve as he witnessed them battle through filth, perspiration, and tears. Goggins was already calling recruiters around the nation to enroll in the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) program before the show even aired.

The BUD/S program was set to close in three months, and Goggins would soon find out that he weighed too much to enlist in the Navy. Goggins needs to drop 107 pounds in under three months if he wants to have a shot at becoming a Navy SEAL. He currently weighs 297 pounds. That works out to almost a pound every day for three months. Goggins began an intense exercise program and continued it for three months. At 4:30 in the morning, Goggins would get on the exercise bike and ride for two hours straight. Then he'd get in his car and head to the closest pool to swim for at least two more hours. After that, he'd hit the gym for a rigorous circuit training session, making sure to hit each major muscle group with at least five sets of 200 repetitions. But he still had a lot of work to do that day; before and after supper, he planned to get on the exercise bike.

Furthermore, he overcame the negativity and despair that told him he couldn't do it, and he established a new accountability mirror. I know, it's hard to believe, but Goggins actually dropped weight and participated in the BUD/S 6-month program that selected 30 out of 120 of the most challenging applicants. By the end of the third week, often called "Hell Week," the majority of participants have dropped out. Over the course of the week, applicants endure extremely dangerous sea conditions while suffering from severe lack of sleep. People frequently pass away throughout this week because it is so difficult.

Throughout this week, Goggins conceived of the idea of the armored mind. This would be his third and final attempt at Hell Week; he had already failed twice. He came to the realization that in order to achieve his objective, he would need to get inside the heads of the teachers who were obstructing his path. Lifting a boat over their heads and marching it across the beach was one of their most difficult tasks, but Goggins encouraged his squad to do their best. They started chanting in response to his encouragement, proving to their teachers that they were unyielding and would not give up. Taking souls is how Goggins describes it; it means depressing your rivals and demonstrating the will to get after it.

The Rule of Forty Percent

Though he became a Navy SEAL, Goggins quickly grew weary of the lack of challenge he had during training and Hell Week. What other ways could he challenge himself? Goggins found the solution he was looking for in extreme long-distance running, or ultra running, in 2005. It all started for Goggins when he got out of bed one morning and started running—a hundred miles straight.

Is it possible that you could run 100 miles if you woke up tomorrow and decided to do it? The first thing we'd say is "no, that's impossible." However, Goggins was hell-bent on succeeding, and he was well aware that his own thoughts stood as his sole obstacle. His interest in ultrarunning began after the deaths of multiple fellow Navy SEALs during an operation in Afghanistan. The Goggins family decided to run the Badwater 135—the world's hardest foot race—in conjunction with a charity run to help support their loved ones.

Naturally, qualifying is a must to entering the Badwater 135. Because of this, he decided to run the 100-mile San Diego One Day event right in the middle of town. Has he received any formal education at all? A cross-trainer at the gym for twenty minutes every week. Goggins was not looking well at the 70-mile point, and he had never run more than 26 miles of a marathon before this. He was so worn out that he had lost control of his bowel and bladder functions. In addition to his shattered bones in his foot, he was also experiencing double vision. Goggins is anything but ordinary; the ordinary person would have given up long ago.

If you've ever felt like giving up halfway through a particularly taxing workout, that's about right. That's how Goggins kept going and finished the 100-mile race. The good news is that Goggins claims you have 60% more to offer! The forty percent rule is what he terms this. Humans, according to this guideline, typically stop trying after using about 40% of our maximum power. If you're thinking you can only run four miles at the moment, you'd be wrong; the true limit is more like 10. Since Goggins had only previously run 26 miles at a 40% effort level, he reasoned that 100 miles could be accomplished.

When you feel like you've exhausted all your resources, don't stop. If you want to grow and overcome the obstacles standing in your way, you have to go past this stage. Goggins finished the event in a mere 19 hours; he went the additional mile just to be sure. This meant he could compete in the Badwater 135 ultramarathon in 2006. On this occasion, he would be completing the marathon at an elevation of 8,374 feet, going through Death Valley in California. Worst of all, the marathon takes place in July, right when Death Valley experiences its peak heat.

This time, Goggins prepared for the marathon by researching the course well and jogging in the extremely hot and humid circumstances he planned to face. With a time of thirty hours to spare, Goggins finished Badwater 135 in fifth place. The forty percent guideline allowed him to test his boundaries and achieve an extraordinary feat.

The 40% Rule, is a powerful principle that pushes you to go beyond what you initially believe are your limits. At its core, the 40% Rule suggests that when your mind first tells you that you're exhausted, that you’ve reached your maximum capacity, you're really only about 40% done. You have so much more potential waiting to be unleashed.Embracing this rule is a journey towards self-mastery. It's about learning to control your mind and coaxing it towards peak performance. Each step past your comfort zone increases your self-awareness and control over your capabilities, fostering a stronger, more disciplined version of yourself.

Remember, the 40% Rule isn’t about disregarding your limits in a way that leads to burnout or harm. Instead, it’s about slowly stretching your boundaries and expanding your comfort zone in a controlled, sustainable manner. It's a tool for motivation, helping you to see that you are capable of much more than you might believe at first glance.

Can't Hurt Me Related Books

1) The Power Of One More

2) The Greatness Mindset

3) Discipline Equals Freedom

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