Halfway between a biography and a self-help book, David Goggins' book is just like the man himself: efficient and motivating.
Commander «Nothing can hurt me anymore» 👊

David Goggins' journey and mindset

Ultra marathon runner, ultra triathlete, and world record holder for the most pull-ups, David Goggins is a US Army soldier who has repeatedly completed the most extreme training courses within the Navy SEALs and the US Army Rangers.

David Goggins' book – Nothing can hurt me anymore or Can’t hurt me – traces their journey in the style of a biography, but each chapter concludes with a challenge to complete, a way of adopting their method, the one that allowed them to break away from a path paved with mediocrity.

David Goggins’ youth was a veritable hell during which he was spared nothing: a tyrannical and violent father, then a kind-hearted stepfather who was murdered, racism, academic failure, poverty… At 20, Goggins was an obese loser, almost illiterate because he had spent his schooling cheating, with a lousy job as a’cockroach exterminator.

The catalyst for his new life will be his dream of joining the US Navy SEALs, the US Navy commandos. With no way to cheat on the entrance exam, he revises for entire nights and loses more than 50 kilos in less than three months to pass the physical tests.

Starting from this catalyst, David Goggins multiplied his physical and above all mental feats, for that is the point he insists upon: one must learn to embrace discomfort and continuously strengthen one's mind.

Of his principles, the 40% rule is the one that caught my attention the most. According to him, we only use 40% of our capacity. Our brain, in order to protect us from discomfort and pain, sends us signals to make us stop when we reach this 40% threshold. “I’m too tired”, “it hurts too much”, “I’ll never manage it” are all manifestations of this mental regulation, which is designed to protect us.

It is by moving beyond this stage, by learning to ignore these warning signs, that we can reach our full potential and achieve our goals. From then on, training consists of seeking out this 40% limit and pushing past it to strengthen one’s mind. This is how, on numerous occasions, Goggins has been able to complete races whilst in a state of extreme fatigue and pain, such as a 100km race finished whilst suffering from stress fractures.

Commander «Nothing can hurt me anymore» 👊

Can’t Hurt Me / Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore: David Goggins’ challenges

The challenges at the end of each chapter are exercises or practical tips that ensure the book is not only a biography but also a self-help book.

Challenge No. 1: The newspaper

To begin with, take a notebook and write down all your current or past limiting factors. This first step is very important; you need to write everything down in detail so that you can visualise your struggles and weaknesses and start to tackle them.

Challenge no. 2: The mirror of responsibility

Following on from challenge number one, the aim here is to look at yourself in the mirror – both literally and figuratively – and tell yourself a few home truths to combat your ego. Write down your dreams, your goals and your insecurities on Post-it notes and stick them to your mirror. You need to be hard on yourself, because you’ll need a «thick skin» to improve your life.
When setting objectives, you need to be specific and break them down into sub-objectives. When the first sub-objective is achieved, you remove the Post-it note and replace it with the second one, and so on.

For example, if you are trying to lose 20 kilos, your first sticky note might be to lose two kilos in the first week. Once you have achieved this goal, remove the note and display the next goal of 2 or 3 kilos until your ultimate goal is reached.

Challenge No. 3: The comfort zone

This challenge is the first one that gets you taking action. The aim is to step outside your comfort zone and make it a habit. Every day, you need to do something you don’t like, something that makes you feel uncomfortable. To do this, start by writing down all the things you don’t like doing or that make you feel uncomfortable – especially the ones that are good for you. It’s not about changing your life overnight, but about making small, gradual changes and ensuring these changes stick. This challenge aims to turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Commander «Nothing can hurt me anymore» 👊

Challenge No. 4: Excellence

Choose a competitive situation that you are currently in. This could mean sitting an exam, developing an ideal proposal, or smashing a sales target. Whatever it is, the idea is to work harder on this project than ever before. Whatever standard is set as the ideal outcome, you must aim to surpass it.
If it is towards a teacher, a coach or a boss, ask questions, be attentive, show them who you are and what you want to be. Work round the clock and make sure they see that. And when the time comes to deliver, exceed their highest expectations.

Challenge No. 5: Visualisation

For every goal you set yourself, visualise success but also the entire process including the obstacles and potential difficulties. It is a way of preparing yourself for when events unfold. Also ask yourself about the deep-seated reasons that are pushing you to want to achieve these goals. The answers will be of great help to you when the going gets tough. And remember that visualisation will never compensate for the work you haven't done.

Challenge No. 6: The cookie jar

This method involves putting all your achievements, your successes, the obstacles you have overcome, and the things you have managed to achieve through perseverance into a biscuit tin, such as stop smoking. When you are struggling, when you are in doubt, dip your hand into the cookie jar and think back on these events, they will be your «emotional boosts» to help you keep going.

Challenge no. 7: pushing the limit

When you feel the urge to stop…. Keep going! And do a little more than you had planned. That way you will learn to stop letting your brain control you. This can be applied to physical effort as well as mental effort, by studying longer than planned for example. Life is one big mind game. The only person you are playing against is yourself.

Listen to «Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore» for free on Audible 👊

Challenge No. 8: Scheduling your days

The idea is to plan your days so that you can get as much done as possible. That’s how Goggins managed to balance his army duties with his ultra-marathon training, which involved three training sessions a day.

This challenge lasts three weeks. During the first week, stick to your normal schedule and take notes. When do you work? What are your breaks and journeys like? Are you wasting time? This needs to be done in detail as it will serve as your baseline, and you’ll find plenty of «fat to trim». Most people waste four to five hours a day, and if you can learn to identify and make the most of this time, you’ll be well on your way to boosting your productivity.

During the second week, establish an optimal schedule. Lock everything down in 15 to 30-minute blocks. Some tasks will take multiple blocks or entire days. Only work on one thing at a time, think about the task ahead of you and pursue it relentlessly. Make sure your meal breaks are adequate, and schedule exercise and rest too. When it is time to rest, rest. No checking emails or social media bullshit. Take timestamped notes during the second week. You can always find some residual dead space. By the third week, you should have an optimal work schedule.

Challenge no. 9: Become the best among the best

«Greatness isn't something that stays with you forever. That shit evaporates like a flash of oil in a hot pan.»
If you really want to become the best of the best, you will have to maintain excellence over a long period. This requires relentless effort. It is the only way to achieve it.

David Goggins – Can't Hurt Me – Challenge No. 10: Taking Advantage of Your Failures

This challenge involves listing your main failures and identifying the positive elements, followed by the negative elements that led to this failure, and then the way you managed them and how they affected you.

Then make a list of things you can fix. This is not the time to be complacent. Be brutally honest. Write them all down and study them. Then, look at your calendar and plan another attempt as soon as possible. If the failure happened in childhood, you will probably be able to use this information to achieve any goal in the future.

Commander «Nothing can hurt me anymore» 👊

David Goggins’ 40% rule?

What if David Goggins were right, and what if we were actually only 40% away from our full potential when our brain tells us to stop? According to him, the brain is trying to protect us and sends us increasingly intense pain signals as we draw on our reserves. But in reality, when these signals urging us to give up appear, we still have 60% of energy left in reserve.

when we stay within our comfort zone. What if we dared to push beyond that boundary by strengthening our minds and getting used to discomfort? We would discover a zone in which we achieve our goals, and where nothing is impossible for us. According to him

Aside from the way he learned to transcend himself, I really liked how Goggins uses his failures, which are often due to two causes: a lack of preparation, or overconfidence. Capable of self-criticism when necessary, he uses his failures to build his future successes. Inspiring.
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The book is available in its original English version English version of Kindle on Amazon. It offers translation tools and the language used is accessible to non-bilingual people.

Since 2023, it has also been translated into French, under the title « Nothing can hurt me anymore »

If you prefer audiobooks, the book is available on Audible (Amazon's audiobook platform): https://amzn.to/3Jaml9W

You can enjoy the audiobook «Can't Hurt Me» for free thanks to the 30-day free trial offer available on the Audible platform.

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David Goggins – Can't Hurt Me

David Goggins' journey and mindset