KB06 - LIFE LESSONS FROM DAVID GOGGINS

A big thank you for our newsletter sponsor this week…

Today's issue is sponsored by Pliability.

In the past, I'd always had a hard time making stretching part of my daily routine, even though I knew how important it was for reducing stress and helping avoid injuries while lifting.

I then stumbled upon Pliability, and for the last 18 months, I've barely missed a day, and it’s made me feel awesome!

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Today I want to dive deep into a man that’s significantly impacted my thinking over the years...

David Goggins

Goggins is a decorated US Navy SEAL, world record holder, motivational speaker, endurance athlete and author.

Image courtesy of fuel the mind youtube channel

I stumbled on Goggins in 2017 while training for my 24hr Backwards Run Charity Event.

He was the first person to talk sense when pushing past what a human being could do.

In this newsletter, I want to share five of his best quotes and unpack them so you can best use them in your own life.

Let’s dive in…

“You don’t need six-pack abs if your mind is steel-plated.”

Do you know why most people seek to achieve six-pack abs, especially as a man?

Confidence.

Achieving a six-pack can help boost your self-esteem, improve your confidence, and make you look healthy and successful.

(actually, being healthy and successful with a six-pack is debatable haha)

All the above is the effect that a six-pack has on your mind, and what I think Goggins is referring to when he says you don’t need it if your mind is steel-plated is exactly this.

• When your mind is steel-plated, you get your confidence from your actions
• When your mind is steel-plated, you get your self-esteem from your habits and routines
• When your mind is steel-plated, you naturally become healthy and successful from your focused efforts in life.

99% of the work done is unseen

One of my many favourite quotes is, “Float like a duck and paddle like fuck”

This refers to when you see a duck effortlessly floating on the lake, looking calm and focused while paddling its feet rapidly underneath to stay afloat.

 

If you want to succeed in this world, it's what people don’t see that makes you successful.

 

• People don’t see the early mornings and late evenings when you’re beating on your craft.
• People don’t see the books you read, your journal entries, and how you manage your stress.
• People don’t see the failures, fuck ups and mistakes that it took to get where you are now.

99% of the work you will do to become a success is unseen.

I’d rather you hate me and get better than like me and stay the same

Something I get a lot of feedback about with my content is how “honest and real” it is.

A lot of the reason for this is the knowledge that when people hear what they want to hear in their lives, they carry on down the same path.

If you’re worried about hurting people’s feelings, they will not change their habits and routines to live a better life.

 

If you’re brutally honest with them, they might hate you for saying something, but it might make them think about what they want from life and make a positive change.

One approach guarantees more people like you, but they all stay the same.

The other approach might make people hate you, but you’ll get some of them to change.

Performance Without Purpose

My morning routine is a pretty crazy one, and before 8 am, I’ve stretched, cold plunged, read a chapter of a book, journaled, and hit a gym session.

If I were training for the Olympics or a championship belt, people wouldn’t bat an eye because I have a reason for putting so much work into my physical self.

The reality is, I’m not training for anything, just life.

The world becomes much easier when you can perform as an elite-level athlete without a purpose.

 

You can deal with curveballs better, have relentless energy to put into family life and work, and look pretty dam good too!

It’s a great quote, not easy to achieve (it's taken me over a decade to finally hit home), but when it finally does, it’s a game changer.

Who’s gonna carry the boats?

In Navy Seals Training, candidates are assigned to boat crews; wherever they go, they must carry a 200lb inflatable boat with them.

As the hour's pass, the boat becomes heavier from people dropping out and quitting.

Goggins shouted to his boat crew, “Who’s gonna carry the boats?”

Which would motivate the remaining crew members to stay in the fight and keep pushing forward.

Back in the army, we had a thing called “Leaders Legs.”

What it meant was

The mental and physical strength to push through your own self-pity and exhaustion, so you can motivate those around you to achieve the task at hand.

When you take it upon yourself to Lead, it gives you energy!

Energy to push through tough times, energy to help others push through those tough times, plus an increased ability to complete your goal.

The next time you’re struggling in some way, ask yourself, “or even shout it out to yourself.”

Who’s gonna carry the boats?

Take the burden on your shoulders, and if you motivate others around you to push through, it will help you push through too!

TL:DR

👉  You don’t need a six-pack to be confident; you need to steel plate your mind

👉  What you practice in private, you’ll be rewarded for in public. Float like a duck and paddle like fu*k

👉 Be brutally honest with people. Fewer people will like you, but you’ll change more lives in doing so

👉 You don’t need a reason to be your best self; you need to do what it takes every day to become it

👉  Step up and “carry the boats”. You’ll inspire other people to carry them, too, and you’ll have a better chance of achieving what you set out to do.

I hope you enjoyed this week's knowledge bomb! Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you for the next one soon.

Jay