This is week 1 of our reading Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins together. We’re reading it as a vehicle to our own transformation. We want to seize this moment (the great shutdown of 2020) to improve. We don’t want to waste the immense opportunity it affords us–the chance to emerge from our burrows better than we entered them. Below are my reflections from reading the Introduction and Chapter One.
Reflections
Dead-eyed, addicted, comfortable, victims. That’s the way we often see ourselves when hard times come. We look at the totality of circumstances and conclude they’re outside our control, that there’s nothing we can do about them. We’re partially right, which is a tragedy. Lies always show up wrapped in some moniker of truth. All the negative things you think about yourself and your situation probably have some inkling of truth within them; their only half the story though.
We still get to cast the final vote. We get to decide the other half of the story. Unfortunately, we don’t always make the best choices. Far too much of the time we exasperate the situation by making the same poor choices again and again. Those choices cap our potential far beneath the heights we otherwise reach.
No matter where we are or how far we’ve come, there’s more ground to take. “But it is up to you,” Goggin’s says, “to equip yourself for the battle ahead. Only you can master your mind, which is what it takes to live a bold life filled with accomplishments most people consider beyond their capacity.”
No one can do it for you. That’s not how things work. You put in the hard work; you endure hardships; you push yourself to keep going when all you want to do is quit. Think about your life for a moment. How many of the good things in your life directly link to something hard or difficult? Every single good thing in my life came about either as a result of suffering, or immediately following it. Human begins grow only as a result of hardship; comfort never makes you who you want to be.
Goggins certainly lived a difficult childhood. His father an abusive conman taking his frustrations out on his wife and children. Working long hours at his father’s business. Exposure to a darker side of life filled with crime, violence, and more. His story breaks your heart. It’s one that leaves an impression upon your own heart almost as deep as it did upon his.
It’s a tale of things too heavy for any child to carry. Things parents are expected to carry until the child is mature and old enough to carry them. Parents protect their children and look out for their best interests. Sadly, Goggins’ father didn’t get the memo.
Goggins’ story packs such power and moves people because it is so relatable. Every one of us relates to some aspect of childhood or another. I can understand the wounds a father leaves, because mine left wounds behind as well. Although mine wasn’t around to beat me, his absence created a gaping hole in my life. Wounds only time and God’s sanctifying work could heal.
One life can turn things around for a kid though. Consider the juxtaposition between Sister Katherine and Mrs. D. One took ownership of the situation and the other looked for a way out. Both offer telling lessons for how one solitary life can impact another. We each have the opportunity to play either role in someone’s life. May we choose to follow Sister Katherine’s footsteps.
Regardless of the cards we’re dealt, we get to play the hand. Yes, bad things happen in our lives. Each of us have deep and painful wounds from events in our past. Something is holding us back. More often than not, that something is us. We hinder our own progress more than anyone or anything else.
It takes work to overcome obstacles, but that’s why we’re reading this book. We’re reading Goggins’ story as a window into our own. The events and circumstances are different. The principles that propelled him forward however, remain the same. We can employ each one to overcome challenges, and become someone we never thought possible. It’s a war. A war fought within.
Next Week
For next week, please read chapters 2 and 3.
Your Turn
I shared what my notes from reading this past week. I’d love to hear what you pulled from this week’s reading. If you’re reading this online, drop a comment below. If you’re reading via email, hit reply. If you don’t want to do either, that’s perfectly fine.