Can't Hurt Me: by David Goggins, Review and Discussion

[MJ DeMarco]

Let's roll! Now a big best-seller, what do you think of the book?

While I'm not shocked, I was unable to find a suitable format to discuss the book using this software, Xenforo. Another reason why I don't recommend Xenforo as forum software. So instead of discussing chapter by chapter (which will probably clutter the front page) I decided we should try using this format:

My Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

(The STAR/X emojis are under the emoji icon, under "commenting icons.")

Format: Audible

My thoughts/review:
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Favorite (or least favorite) chapter:
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Main takeaway:
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Once posted, FEEL FREE to comment on anyone's review/thoughts/takeaway.

PS: This is NOT my review.

 

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[Get Right]

My Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Format: Kindle

My thoughts/review:
My heart was broken in the first chapter. I almost gave up reading the book all together. For some reason, I stuck it out and I'm glad I did. I think David (author) might have liked that. Trauma aside, this book has a lot of ground breaking advice/material. I found multiple areas to test in my own life and have reaped rewards for the effort.

Favorite (or least favorite) chapter:
Chapter 7 was my favorite. This chapter lit me up! The highlight being "Sadly, most of us give up when we've only given around 40% of our maximum effort." This was such a novel idea that I had to test it with a short run (I'm not a runner). When my legs hurt to the point of needing to stop, I reflected on his 40% rule. After my mind conceded I ran the same distance... again...and could have kept going.

Main takeaway:
The mental and the physical parts of our bodies might be more intertwined than we thought. What can the mind push the body to do and vice versa? David lays a pretty good case out there as to his answer(s). My summation would be that we have a lot more in the tank than we think we have (mentally and physically). The only question is how big is your tank? David would probably ask you to find that out by asking "What if?"

 

[LuckyPup]

My Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

(Actually, I give it 3.5 stars.)

Format: Audible
I've been listening to the Audible version, which has some extras added to enhance the book. Interspersed with the narration is a podcast-like dialogue between Goggins and the author that elaborates on the events in the book. It works for me - makes the book more interesting.

My thoughts/review:
As with that of other larger-than-life figures, Goggins' hero's journey stands in stark contrast to my own less-than-heroic journey and life of relative ease. Maybe it's just me and stuff I have to work through, but after the inspiration wears off, I tend to feel shitty about myself after I read books like this.

Most books like this can be distilled down to some basic life lessons having to do with mindset. I don't mean to minimize Goggins' life experience and I do think we can learn from them, but the cynic in me can't help but think that books in this "warrior-athlete" genre have become a bit formulaic: shitty life > elite military training > further setbacks > ultimate triumph > life lessons.

With that being said, the book is an easy read/listen, because Goggins does have a compelling story which the author tells well enough to help mortals like me live vicariously through Goggins, if only for a bit. Also, I had expected the typical "kid overcomes shitty childhood" story, but I was still surprised by some of Goggins' life experiences. Still hoping to see what becomes of that mo-fo Trunnis, so no spoilers, please!

Favorite (or least favorite) chapter:
Audible's chapters are a mess, but my favorite parts so far (I'm almost done) are:

• When Goggins did a self-intervention and got his act together to learn to read, pass the military entrance exam, etc. Pure FTM. Guess who has Post-It notes on his bathroom mirror now?
• When he dropped 100 lbs in what, 90 days? Inspired me to set a goal to drop 20 in 1Q 2019.
• Relating the BUDS training & hell week stuff. I may be a cynic, but I'm still impressed as hell at the grit these guys have. Aside: I read Lone Survivor and other stuff about Marcus Luttrell, and I had forgotten that he and his brother pulled off that hilarious scam. Classic.
• God's chart. I'm agnostic, but the feeling that I'm not living up to my potential haunts me daily. Long ago I remember reading something to the effect that the greatest sin is not attempting to reach your potential, and it's stuck with me for years.

Main takeaway:
Mindset, mindset, mindset.

Also, I believe the only reason Goggins is here today because his mom finally had an FTE and left Trunnis.

Amended comments:
Main Takeaway: In his quest to be uncommon, Goggins has isolated himself. I get it. I'm also an introvert and don't often play well with others. However, there's more at work with Goggins than plain ol' introversion, and he's paid a price in relationships for being so single-minded. Like many exceptionally single-minded people, he has mastered some aspects of his life, but it wasn't until he faced a crisis that he became self-aware enough to understand that he needed to change in order to succeed in other aspects of his life.

Also, even though I can get cynical about the military hero worship, Goggins has accomplished some truly amazing feats.