10 extremely life-changing lessons I learned from Can't Hurt Me, by David Goggins

The truth may hurt. And most of the time someone else telling you what you need to hear won’t cut it. You need to tell yourself your truth. “Call yourself out!”
Don’t fluff your truths. Don’t use euphemisms. If you see an overweight person in the mirror and aren’t really okay with it, tell yourself you’re fat. Period. “It’s okay to be unkind with yourself in these moments because we need thicker skin to improve in life.”
If you don’t have the ideal home environment or natural talent to help you develop a strong self-confidence, use personal accountability to keep moving forward. “[Personal accountability] brought me self-respect, and self-respect will always light a way forward.”
Everything in life is a mental game. Whenever you’re facing adversity or a challenge, no matter if intellectual or physical, remember that if you quit, you’re probably doing it because you’re not mentally strong enough. Prepare yourself mentally. Always.
Master your insecurities to get ahead at any game. Hiding or denying your insecurities only makes them stronger and you weaker.
“And never forget that all emotional and physical anguish is finite! It all ends eventually.”
Go hard and give it all, no matter how defeated you feel. “… Because the ticket to victory often comes down to bringing your very best when you feel your worst.”
You’re not a victim of your circumstances. Your life is simply a training ground. It’s up to you to use it to make yourself stronger. “My disadvantages had been callousing my mind all along…”. ” If you choose to see yourself as a victim of circumstances into adulthood, the callous will become resentment that protects you from the unfamiliar.”
Self-doubt is practically inevitable. Forget about removing self-doubt from your mind completely and focus on learning how to fight it back instead. “You can tolerate doubt as a backseat driver, but if you put doubt in the pilot’s seat, defeat is guaranteed.”
Use bad experiences as fuel. “Going forward it became very important for me to rehash my life, because when you examine your experiences with a fine-toothed comb and see where your issues come from, you can find strength in enduring pain and abuse.”

Comments

Riana Ang-Canning says

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Haven’t heard of this person or his work before but glad you found lots of lessons to learn from him. I like the idea of being honest with yourself. I often find the promises I’m most willing to break are the ones I make to myself. But I don’t agree that you should be unkind to yourself. I think a much bigger problem we have in our society is people tearing themselves down. No one is harsher about your insecurities than your own mind. So I don’t think unkindness is needed. I think you can be honest with yourself while still being kind.

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- Maria says
  
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  Thanks for reading, Riana!
  
  Being honest with ourselves is definitely something that can make a huge difference in our lives.
  
  And sure, being unkind to ourselves is harmful when it becomes a habit. But sometimes we just need someone to take you by the shoulders, look you in the eye and shake you to wake you up. Sometimes the best person to do that is yourself. I do agree this is helpful once in a while. But of course, I agree with you on the idea that we don’t need to tear ourselves down 🙂
  
  Thank you for reading and for writing a comment here!
  
  Best,
  
  EmJay
  
  Reply
Jaya says

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It is nice to read a book and learn something from it. More then one things; ten! When a book is not only engaging but informative, it is real gem.

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- Maria says
  
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  That’s right! This book has it all: it’s engaging, informative, life-changing, eye-opening. I keep recommending it whenever I get the chance 🙂
  
  Best,
  
  EmJay
  
  Reply
- Unwanted Life says
  
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  The only one I’d be wary of is number two. Being unkind to yourself, like calling yourself fat, often doesn’t lead to thicker skin. You run the risk of creating a negative self talk problem that could cause depression.
  
  Besides that, the other points are quite interesting
  
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  - María José says
    
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    Totally! It’s certainly not for everybody and not to be used all the time.
    
    But I’ve found it useful to just tell myself the ugly truth. It helps me a lot. Of course, it’s not a habit and I don’t usually talk to myself like that. But sometimes, I just need a wake-up call 🙂
    
    Thanks for reading!
    
    -EmJay
    
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Carolyn says

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This book seems like an interesting and vital read! Definitely adding it to my “improve your life,” book list. Thanks!

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- María José says
  
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  Thanks for reading, Carolyn!
  
  At first, I wasn’t sure about reading it but after I did, it became one of the best books I’ve ever read. 100% recommended 🙂
  
  Cheers,
  
  EmJay
  
  Reply