Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins changed my life. I was a fairly healthy person before reading this book. I worked out twice per day, I ate very well and I kept in good mental/emotional shape. Those standards that I held for myself seem pathetic after hearing what this brilliant human had to say in his book.

David’s book is not a warm, feel-good story in the normal sense. He is a transparently well-spoken individual. He does not sugarcoat anything. I love how real he is in his book. His realness drove me to follow suit and better myself even beyond the previously high standards that I upheld as a student/athlete who also works part-time. Although this autobiography had differences from most, there were many similarities. Goggins went through the wringer. He was physically abused by his biological father as a kid, a victim of racism, struggled with his heart defect, but through it all, he became one of the most accomplished athletes, military persons and obtain a mindset that we should all strive for. “The sky is the starting line” (Goggins 21).

After reading Mr. Goggins’ book, my expectations for myself skyrocketed. David introduces 10 “rules” in his ten-chapter book. One of these “rules” is called the 40% percent rule. This implies that most people only ever apply 40% of their max effort into any given scenario, similar to how humans usually only ever apply 10% of their brain. I realized that this was very true for me. For the past two months, since I read Can’t Hurt Me, I have excepted the fact that I have much more to give. I used to wake up at 6:30 am and slowly get ready for my day, now I’m up and at it by 5 am and I finish my first workout before 6. I used to go to bed late after playing video games, now I cut back on my screen time and I almost always fall asleep by 9 or 10. Goggins teaches that even the slightest adjustments, as long as they have a positive outlook, are beneficial.

Mr. Goggins' mindset throughout his life and as expressed in his book is that there is no limit. Obviously, there are limits and barriers in life but David teaches the reader that you can always find a way to overcome a scenario, even if that means stepping back or around an obstacle as oppose to fighting through it. Before he understood this, his favorite way to deal with obstacles as depicted in his young life is to defy the odds and bulldoze through barriers; he ran ultra-marathons with broken feet, he completed three hell weeks in the navy seals while suffering from countless, extensive injuries that would normally make a person retire of any movement let alone navy seal training. The list of unimaginable feats goes on but eventually at the age of 43, he thought his days of doing the impossible had finally come to an end. 

Goggins had just finished a 100 km race in Switzerland. The course was entirely snow and ice. Soon after the event, unexplained swells surrounded David’s joints and doctors could not find an explanation. Keep in mind, this is one of the most determined people in the history of the world, and even he thought that after all he had been through, these bumps on his neck, shoulders, and hips were his death of him. He explains that somehow, every physical therapy specialist he met with had failed to ask him if he ever took breaks to recover from his unhuman level life of a workout. Up until this point he had not yet understood that taking a breather and sitting one race out was a possibility. The last two chapters of his book explain that the swells were just due to a serious lack of stretching. It took three years of stretching 12 hours per day but David returned not only to his previous self but an even better version. He applies this lesson too much more than just rigorous physical training though. “Sitting back and taking five is always an option, just get back at it” (Googins 320).

As I began this essay by saying that Goggins’ book changed my life, I think it is fitting to reiterate that same notion as I end this writing. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins is the best inspirational writing I have ever come across. It truly changed my life. For anyone, whatever your goals, I highly recommend giving this book a chance. This story will change your life for the better.