3 THINGS DAVID GOGGINS TEACHES.

 3 THINGS DAVID GOGGINS TEACHES

 

Growing up he was raised by a single mother, he battled racism, bullying, ill-health, poverty, and the unending struggle with obesity. He turned his life around to become an icon of the US Armed Forces. What can this ex-US Navy Seal, an ultra-marathon cyclist, and runner, a public speaker, an author of two memoirs, a Guinness World Record holder: nicknamed “the toughest man alive” or the “World’s toughest Man”, who fell in love with suffering teach you? Well, plenty but here let’s look at three valuable lessons he teaches.

 

Imagine having a learning disability and repeatedly failing in your exams. When learning can be the most difficult and dreaded thing in the world? Well, in his book “Can’t Hurt Me” Goggins talks about how his mother when she realized he was serious about the Air Force, hired a tutor for him to help him figure out a system that he could use to learn. Well, the tutor after assessing him told him in jest that the only way he was ever going to learn anything was if he wrote it down a thousand times. Goggins took this advice to heart and started writing down everything repeatedly so that the matter would stick in his mind. He called this method or system: transcription, memorization, and recall. He used this system for all his subjects from learning formulas for algebra to English and mathematics. He reviewed this system for many hours, days, weeks, and months. Soon the results trickled in and on his third attempt he managed the passing grades for the Air Force.

 

The second most vital thing that Goggins teaches us is the concept of the “Callused Mind”. You must have seen boxers who have calluses on their knuckles, guitarists who have calluses on their fingers, or martial artists who have calluses on their feet. This is a result of friction and is a normal thing for these practitioners and is intentional. Similarly, callousing the mind means repeatedly exposing or putting yourself in discomfort and pain. It is based on the premise that if you constantly put yourself in pain and discomfort it will soon become habitual and the pain will disappear. You will be better equipped to deal with them and in this way, the mind can be trained to fall in love with pain. Goggins does this with his examples of constantly seeking challenging situations and pushing through any obstacles in his path be it in the form of an ultra-distance cyclist and his numerous other endurance events. Despite having asthma and a hole in his heart he went on to conquer many extreme challenges.

 

What if you are bullied for being overweight and constantly being targeted and shamed for it? What do you do? Let’s look at the Goggins way. Dealing with his ongoing battle with the bulge, he one fine day decided to confront the man in the mirror. He went on a low-calorie diet and pushed himself to the limit. He did strenuous workouts, running, and weight training. He joined up for long-distance runs and signed up for extreme physical tests. All this time his entire emphasis was solely on mental toughness. He started intermittent fasting and constantly kept himself hydrated. On his runs, he had the Rocky soundtrack on his cassette and for motivation listened to “Going the Distance” song. He survived the “Hell Week” at Navy Seals and how? He soon metamorphised into the toughest soldier in The US Air Force.

 

David Goginns did all these by stepping out of his comfort zone and as he puts it, by going to war with himself. He is today a highly decorated ex-officer of the US Armed Forces and is a much sought-after public speaker. His talks, writings, books, and memoirs are international bestsellers. So, that is the story of David Goggins, what is yours?