This is week 2 of our reading Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins together. We’re reading it as a vehicle for our improvement. We’re don’t want to waste the great opportunity our times offer. We’re seizing the initiative to grow and immerge from this shutdown better than we began. Below are my reflections for reading chapters 2 and 3.
Reflections
Last week, we talked about our getting to cast the final vote. We get to choose how we respond to life’s setbacks. That’s a decision we make alone. No one makes it for us. We decide. Which makes you immensely powerful; powerful enough to overcome the impossible.
Life is filled with peaks and valleys. We’re always navigating our way between good times and bad, rarely spending too much time in either state. Along the way, we accumulate a steady list of failures. Eventually, they stack upon one another like cordwood blocking our path forward. It takes considerable effort to overcome the resistance holding us back. But that’s exactly what we have to do.
Overcoming that resistance requires things like honesty, accountability, and personal responsibility. We must take a look at our lives, paying special attention to the negative. When setbacks and failure mount, we have to face up to the truth of our situation and use it to motivate change. In short, we need a moment of personal clarity–seeing ourselves and our situation as they truly are.
If we learn one thing from Goggins’ story so far, it’s that we are the primary thing holding us back in life. Yes, there are legitimate reasons why a person or circumstance prevents our forward momentum. No matter how they impede our path our response is what stands in the way. The good news is that we determine that response.
That response needs to encompass doing hard things. A reoccurring theme found within Goggins’ story is learning to embrace suffering; to crave it. Discomfort transforms us and helps us grow if we let it. And that comes down to our decision making. We can choose to disrupt this process by shying away when discomfort mounts.
Our greatest temptation is shrinking from the pain. That’s what we naturally do. Pain isn’t comfortable and we usually recoil when it arrives. We must learn to resist this urge if we are going to grow. As I’ve written before, pain is our friend. It’s a clue that we’re on the verge of something of a breakthrough. A breakthrough that won’t come if we shrink from discomfort. That’s why we must learn to love it.
We get to pick our pain. We can experience the short-term pain of the moment or the long-term pain that accompanies giving in. One pain is primarily physical and the other more akin to mental anguish. Physical pain will fade with time, while mental anguish and regret follow us forever.
What should be an easy choice, is usually anything but. So, don’t make it when you're in the moment. Decide now, while you're comfortable. Tell yourself that you are the kind of person who chooses the short-term physical pain of the moment. Tell yourself that you will do things the right way, no matter how much it hurts. You won’t cut corners or make excuses.
Goggins learned to embrace and love the pain. It became his secret weapon. A weapon he would use to change the entire trajectory of his life. Life is rarely a straight-line, and Goggins’ story is far from it. He struggles, falls, and gets back up again. Perseverance and grit keep him moving forward.
He experiences several moments of clarity. He sees himself honestly and clearly, resolving to do what is necessary for change. Most of the things necessary are hard. They don’t feel good at the moment. But they lead to the life we want.
We need many such moments in the marathon of life. Some of these moments are small serving only to keep us moving in the right direction. Others are more significant and change our trajectory in greater ways. Seek them out. Train yourself to choose the rocky path over the smooth. It may be tough going, but it’s the quickest path to where we want to go.
Next Week
For next week, please read chapters 4 and 5.
Your Turn
I shared 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.