Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

Written and narrated by Leigh Martinuzzi 

In this book, David Goggins shares his amazing life story that will not only shake you but leave you feeling inspired. I believe the ultimate goal for Goggins in sharing his journey is not for self-gain or recognition but to encourage others to push through their fears, overcome obstacles and realise their potential. Life wasn’t meant to be easy however when we face that fact and keep going regardless of the unease or adversity we strengthen resilience and open ourselves to a world of endless opportunities. Goggins is a living example of this.

Growing up, childhood for Goggins was anything but a dream. As a child, he was severely abused. Seriously, some of the experiences he went through being beaten to near death by his father will leave you shaking. Goggins is entirely vulnerable in bringing us into the details of these experiences and this becomes one of the first lessons from this book, to be vulnerable. Don’t hide from what you are and how you are feeling. Hiding doesn’t solve anything, facing it head on will allow you to step into it. This will open opportunities for assistance from others and open the mind to strategies to help you move forward and improve.

After escaping his father’s rule with his mother, they then lived in poverty. At school, he was bullied and hated how he felt about himself and others in life. Although he escaped physical abuse, he still experienced mental abuse and internal trauma. It’s not hard to understand why. Goggins continued to battle on until he could no longer handle his deep depression. At a young age, overweight and feeling little self-worth Goggins had the motivation to join the armed forces.

For the next few decades, Goggins went on to become the only man in history to complete training as a Navy Seal, Armed Ranger and Air Force Tactical Air Controller. Getting started and his ability to tackle his obesity and other health issues is intense and they don’t stop there. Goggins seems to thrive on pain and even though he achieves one milestone after many defeats he soon jumps into the next challenge. He goes through some of the toughest training in the world.

This book will leave you inspired and illuminate that anything you desire is possible. Your past is not your future. You can overcome the shit and push through the other side. The key is to have an open mind. Don’t let your story stand in your way but also take responsibility for the story you are living in. If it’s not colourful, if you are overweight and depressed, do something about it. Progress is real and it’s not found in the modern-day comforts we are so surrounded with. It is found by stepping outside our comfort zone and constantly pushing ourselves that little bit harder and by facing our fears.

Goggins explains that many of us are only operating at forty per cent or less. There is a lot more in the tank that most of us never tap into. Goggins is now an American endurance athlete having competed in ultramarathons, triathletes and ultradistance cycling races. If you listen to the audiobook you receive more than just the book as Goggins and Adam Skolnick (narrator) share in podcast-style format over two hours of extra content.

If life is getting you down and you are ready to stand up and fight then this book will give you the motivation to get back up and help you reach your full potential. It’s no miracle of how Goggins has become who he is today. Ultimately he had to do the work, and we can all do the same.

If this book sounds of interest you can purchase Can’t Hurt Me here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

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