David Goggins is one of the top ultra-endurance athletes in the world, a former Navy SEAL, and the holder of the Guinness World Record for the most pull-ups performed in a 24-hour period (4,030 in 17 hours). Yet in addition to his athletic prowess, he also frequently shares a kind of insight that is now exceedingly uncommon: the wisdom of experience. His inspirational remarks are frequently uttered in interviews due to his determination to push through pain, suffering, and challenges in life. I’ve gathered some of his most significant lessons in this essay for readers to dwell on and internalise since they actually contain more wisdom than they might initially think.

The entire content that follows is credited to David Goggins, who has given numerous interviews throughout the years. In the hopes that the messages from Goggins become more clear, I have cleaned up several sentences for readability and clarity. All of the words’ wisdom, though, comes from him.

On Addiction
Everyone will find it difficult to understand you if your goal is to excel and be the best at what you do. Because you’ll be so insanely obsessed and motivated to get there. That is what is necessary. Every minute of your existence is consumed. If somebody mentions balance, they are correct in saying that a lot of people value it. It is. Yet, once you reach the point when others dislike you, don’t comprehend you, and doubt everything you do, you have arrived.

In Thought
The most potent tool in the world is your intellect. When you put your phones, computers, and other modern technology away, your brain is all that is left to you when you are depressed. when you are experiencing difficult times. When you are experiencing death. True life nonsense. Well, you can’t just Google that stuff. All by yourself. There are 24 hours in every day when you are alone in this brain. Your brain is speaking to you in a variety of ways and wants to control you and put you in various pockets, even if you see a shrink or talk to your best friend about it. You’re screwed if you can’t manage your own brain and it dominates you. Your brain needs instructions on where to go, how to get there, and what to do once you are there. You must exert control over it. Otherwise, it’s over.

Meeting God
I came to believe in a higher power once I met God. I have no idea what it is called or where it came from. But, I think that this power has a life chart for you. And it states “David Goggins, born February 17th, 1975 at 6am” when you are born. Because they can see everything, they record the chart. They are aware of your proper location. When you pass away, you supposedly go to heaven. I arrived in heaven, weighed 300 pounds, was a retired eco-lab worker, and whatever, it’s just a job. As I walk up there, God looks at me and shows me my chart, which states that I was intended to be a Navy seal, weigh 185 pounds, and be among the smartest people on the earth, among other things.

It’s too late now that you notice this. Heaven is where you are. “I was supposed to live that life,” you realise. I was meant to lead that life. After that, you discover the cause. We all believe that if we pray about things and do this and that, everything will work out. But if you choose not to work and believe that things would just happen for us magically. No. I think my responsibility is to outperform the chart. I want to ascend there and, regardless of what the chart says about me, I want the all-knowing power to look at me and exclaim, “Wow, I know everything, but I didn’t fucking see this. I f*cking didn’t see that. I want to feel that.

I want to leave this earth and for whoever is evaluating me to say, “I didn’t know,” regardless of how they are judging me. I was writing all of this while you were experiencing it. I need to learn more. Hence, if this world is ending, there is a place to go, and there is a judgement, you might see a chart when you get there. You have the rest of your afterlife to consider who the f*ck you should have been, according to that chart. If I had only endured a little bit more pain, I could have led a far better life. If only I had entered that garbage and understood I had so much more. Yet I was halted by fear, the 40% rule, and the choice between living deeply and superficially. I have to work harder than the chart.

Once over 40%
I think that just 40% of human potential is being utilised by the majority of people. Like an automobile, the mind has a governor. If you are driving a car that has a governor on it, the governor may be set for 91 miles per hour even though the automobile is capable of 130. It causes you to lag after you reach 91. The factory setting says, “We are not going over 91,” despite the fact that the car wants to move. Everybody’s brain has a lovely governor with a factory setting.

It serves as a survival mechanism and shields us from sorrow. As soon as we experience that, our mind tells us to stop, sit down, and find something more comfortable because it isn’t pleasurable. You always have a strategic disadvantage compared to the mind. It is aware of your vulnerabilities and the things you are afraid of. It begins to pull you away from your deep, dark lies because it is aware of them. It forces you to move in a comfortable direction. Everything is managed by the mind.

When I was a child and became overweight and insecure, I came to the realisation that my mind kept leading me in different directions. It told me, “Oh no, we have a tactical advantage, we need to separate you from this feeling, from this pain,” whenever I was experiencing discomfort. Feelings are the basis of life. We desire positive emotions; we do not desire the thought, “This is awful; why am I here?” You leave as you are unable to respond to their inquiries. When you can respond to those questions, you are now in control of your brain rather than it governing you, I began to realise. All control originates there.

When you reach 40%, your brain signals to you to sit down because you are finished and the pain and discomfort are getting worse. It’s a routine. Nevertheless, if you are aware that the fight-or-flight response takes over at 40% of the way through when you are experiencing discomfort, you can respond, “I’m done,” or “We’re not good enough,” when your mind is telling you to leave, run away, or flee. Because the mind controls everything, it begins telling you all of these things.

Now is the time to regain mental control. You tell yourself, “It’s okay, let me try to go to 45%,” and as you begin to give yourself more and more hope, you begin to understand that you should be moving right and that you armoving left. As a result, you begin to manage your thoughts and discover more about yourself. And you increase from 40% to much more than that. And that is where it all began. Reach the 40% mark where your mind starts to tell you to quit. You must first arrive there. The mind can then start to work for you at that point. You regain self-control from that point.

Hi, I’m Garima and I write about life experiences. I have several books available on Amazon. Check them out today! Any purchases or KDP reads will be greatly appreciated. If you like my books, do leave a review. Here’s my author page on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0BQDZXYNV