Can’t Hurt Me Book Summary By David Goggins

There is always an inner voice, or demon, telling you that your circumstances in life are too difficult. You might persuade yourself that facing life’s challenges will prevent you from realising your full potential.

How often do you promise yourself you’ll go to the gym tomorrow? Then, when tomorrow rolls around, you come up with an explanation. What would you be able to accomplish if you had no excuses?

This is a remarkable account of how a man who was overweight beat all odds to become the fittest man in America by mastering his mind. David Goggins, the author, doesn’t accept justification and has changed his life with the help of the straightforward power of thought.

Want to change your life as well? Let’s dive into the quick overview of Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins’s summary, where you’ll learn how he provides a roadmap for anyone to follow to push past boundaries, conquer their fears, and live life to the fullest.

can't hurt me book with can't hurt me summary heading

One-Liner Book Summary

In Can’t Hurt Me, David Goggins describes how self-control, mental toughness, and hard work helped him become one of America’s fittest athletes.

About: Life Of David Goggins 

Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, a runner of ultramarathons. long-distance cyclist. Triathlete. inspiring speaker. holder of the Guinness World Record for finishing 4,030 pull-ups in 17 hours… These achievements are all a part of one man’s life journey. His name is David Goggins, the author of Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.

In this incredibly inspirational autobiographical self-help book, David describes his journey of change, including how he went from a 297-pound exterminator to one of the toughest men on the planet. The man has overcome unspeakable suffering and tragedy in life—and still managed to overcome obstacles and achieve his objectives. Keep reading this can’t hurt me summary by David Goggins to get in-depth knowledge of it.

And in Can’t Hurt Me, he combines his life story with several methods to help you control your thoughts, overcome obstacles, and achieve your objectives. This book summary will teach you the following:

  • The formula for building mental toughness
  • How to make yourself responsible for achieving your objectives.
  • How to train your body to endure discomfort and adversity to achieve your highest goals.
  • and much, much more… 

His experience shows how mental discipline, perseverance, and making friends with pain can enable you to accomplish the unthinkable.

1. It Doesn’t Always Go Your Way

If you start believing that life will always go your way, you’ll be disappointed and less effective. Being entitled is a mindset that depletes power. Decide what you want and be prepared to pay the price necessary to obtain it rather than concentrating on what you believe you deserve.

2. The 40% Rule: The Most Powerful Weapon

Most people only use 40% of their potential. You are only operating at about 40% of your potential when your mind tells you that you are finished, completely spent, and unable to go any further.

“When you think that you are done, you’re only 40% into what your body’s capable of doing. That’s just the limits that we put on ourselves.” —David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

When you reach 40%, you must draw from an untapped source of motivation and energy. Keep going even when you want to give up, because that’s when you’ll realise the other 60% of your potential.

3. No One Is Going To Help You

You must follow your objectives if you want something. Don’t hold off until someone else presents you with the opportunity. Don’t hold out for assistance from others. It is on you if it is your dream. If you don’t act now, you’ll be waiting until you’re on your deathbed. Keep reading this can’t hurt me book summary by David Goggins to get in-depth knowledge of it.

4. Progress Is Motivating

“We all need small sparks, small accomplishments in our lives to fuel the big ones.”

— David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

Even if you have elevated goals, you must begin with modest successes. You’ll have the fuel you need for the bigger fire you want to start with those little victories. Find a way to create checkpoints along the way to keep you motivated to go on. One of the most inspiring things is progress. Keep reading this can’t hurt me summary by David Goggins to get in-depth knowledge of it.

5. Callous Your Mind

Keep going even if you want to give up. Try to go as far as you can. It’s probably farther than you think, and if you keep going, your mind will become hardened. When times are tough, this will be useful. Even when you don’t want to work hard, you will learn to do so. That will benefit you in the long run.

6. Life Is Suffering

Life is challenging. There are daily ups and downs, as well as pain, sadness, humiliation, hardship, broken dreams, and death. You must be willing to face this suffering if you want to succeed in life. You will only hurt yourself if you fight it. Accept the discomfort and learn to live with it. Use it to spur you on. Keep reading this summary of can’t hurt me by David Goggins to get in-depth knowledge of it.

7. Uncommon Amongst Uncommon

Those who are already at the top of their game should read this. Those who have completed their tasks are currently sitting atop the mountain. Don’t give in. Use your past accomplishments as a springboard rather than a chair.

If you’re a shark in a sea of sharks, dare to stand out and go above and beyond. Like Goggin did when, as a Navy SEAL, he decided to learn about weapons and warfare to improve himself. To make yourself stand out, you need to keep putting barriers in your path. What will you change as a result?

8. Talent Not Required

Spend your time in segments. High achievement requires hard work rather than natural talent. Although many people say they don’t have the time, they are willing to put in the effort. However, you have enough time to complete everything.

How much time most people waste each day—whether it’s on social media, playing video games, or attempting to multitask—is unbelievable. To help you make the most of your time, Goggin’s has a three-week challenge.

Go about your regular day-to-day activities during the first week, but make notes. What time do you work? When do you go to bed? Do you regularly check Facebook? Keep track of all your activities and the time they take. Lock everything into place in 15-to-30-minute blocks during the second week.

Some tasks require several blocks. After finishing a task, move on to the next one while maintaining your focus. Continue taking notes because there are still ways to optimise your schedule. By week three, you ought to have a schedule that unquestionably makes the most of your time.

9. It’s All On You

You need to be mentally strong. Only you can do that. The first step toward achieving things that other people deem impossible is mental mastery. You won’t make it through the upcoming battle without that. Keep reading this can’t hurt me book summary by David Goggins to get in-depth knowledge of it.

10. Armored Mind

Envision yourself succeeding. Recruits must run 60 miles per week as part of their SEAL training, which is extremely difficult. Goggins was forced to perform it despite having a hurt knee. So how did he accomplish that? He began picturing all the difficulties he would encounter, including all the swimming and paddling, as well as carrying heavy bolts and logs on his head. He then imagined himself succeeding and what it would be like to come out on top.

Even though he was still in pain, he had the motivation to succeed because he had imagined what success would be like. You cannot anticipate every obstacle, but if you practice strategic visualisation in advance, as he calls it, you will be as ready as you can be.

This includes asking yourself straightforward questions like, “What has previously calloused my mind? What could I do to improve my experience? You’ll benefit from developing what the author refers to as an “armored mind,” which is “a mindset so calloused that it becomes bulletproof.”

11. Truth Hurts

Your accountability mirror should be set up. Have you ever doubted your ability to achieve your dreams? It was Goggin’s. He had aspirations of enlisting in the Air Force, but when he looked in the mirror, all he saw was a physically and mentally immature boy. But then again, he chose to use the mirror as a tool to hold himself responsible rather than accept his condition.

He stuck a sticky note on his mirror every night with his daily objective written on it. He will work hard the next day to accomplish those objectives. It’s time for you to accept your reality. Write down what you see in the mirror on some Post-its you can find. Keep reading this summary of can’t hurt me by David Goggins to get in-depth knowledge of it.

What are your objectives? Where are your boundaries? Be entirely sincere. Goggin advises us, “You need to hold yourself responsible for the small steps it will take to get there, whatever your goal.”

12. Be A Warrior

Be among the 1% of people prepared to go the extra mile. Be a fighter. The warrior practises, fights, and never gives up. Being a warrior is the only way to accomplish the impossible.

“Heraclitus, a philosopher born in the Persian Empire back in the fifth century BC, had it right when he wrote about men on the battlefield. “Out of every one hundred men,” he wrote, “ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior…” —David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

13. Pain Is The Way

The key to optimum performance is pain. Instead of avoiding pain, you must learn to deal with it. Goggins developed a love of pain, which enabled him to advance farther than he ever imagined. Keep reading this can’t hurt me summary by David Goggins to get in-depth knowledge of it.

“Pain unlocks a secret doorway in the mind, one that leads to both peak performance, and beautiful silence.” —David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

14. The Empowerment Of Failure

Goggin asserts that experiencing failure is one of the best feelings ever. And if you’re not failing, it means your goals aren’t high enough, which means you’ve set them to pass. The fact that Goggin broke the record for the most pull-ups is widely known. Some people are unaware of the fact that he made two unsuccessful attempts before finding success. It is now time for you to learn from your mistakes.

Start writing in your journal right away. Write about the successful aspects of your failures. Not everything is bad. Then, describe how you handled the failure. Did it have an impact on your relationship? Did you have success sleeping at night?

Examine your preparation, and see if you took all the necessary steps. To attempt your task again, go back and make a list of everything you can fix. You now understand what it took for Goggin to transform from a defenceless youngster into the superhuman he became. There were neither magic cures nor shortcuts. It requires perseverance and hard work.

15. What If?

Later, Goggins discovers that he has a heart condition that could have been fatal. After undergoing two operations, he experiences another setback when years of stress and poor stretching result in near-death experiences. Goggins nevertheless develops his flexibility. He gains the ability to let go of the scared and irate child he once was.

  • WHAT IF you put in more effort to fulfil your dreams?
  • WHAT IF the next time you feel like giving up, can you overcome your comfort zone?
  • WHAT IF you got rid of all the excuses for why you can’t do something and replaced them with all the explanations for why you can?
  • How much would it alter your life? What kind of impact could you have?
  • & what if you decided to start again… right now?

16. Actionable Insights

The next time you feel motivated to act but your self-doubt begins to creep in, pause and consider:

  • “What if I did _____?” What you want to do should go where the blank is.
  • Then consider this: what would constitute a successful result? And finally, put it into practice.

He comes to understand how to forgive everyone, including his brother and the racists who prevented him from enlisting in the Army’s Delta Force. His final piece of advice is to confidently answer the ridiculous question “What If?” There is no cap and no goal to reach. There are endless possibilities when you ask, “What if?”

Conclusion: How You Can Take Your Productivity To The Next Level 🏆

Can’t Hurt Me is genuinely inspirational. Someone who has overcome great obstacles and grown to be among the most resourceful people on earth can teach us what it takes to master our minds. He enables us to overcome our mental blocks and take charge of our success.

You can overcome any challenge in your own life if you learn from him. The summary will conclude with the book’s most memorable quote:

“I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.” —David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

💬✍ Feel free to comment below, if you have any suggestions regarding the book summarise & quotes. We’d love to read your comments & provide you with the top book summaries & recommendations you want.

🏆👉 Also, we have summarized hundreds of books in different categories & recommended a variety of best book listicles to help you select the right book to gather excellent knowledge. 

Reach Out to TheSoftBook.com Now!

Happy Learning! 💁🏻‍♀️📚📲

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *