Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
- Reecha Singh
- Apr 5, 2025
- 3 min read
This week was one for the books—full of challenges that fall well outside the realm of control.
It brought to mind 2022—a year that tested many of my assumptions and stretched my perspective in meaningful ways. In hindsight, it became a period of quiet but significant growth. Not marked by one defining moment, but by a series of experiences that reshaped how I approach complexity, resilience, and long-term focus.
During that time, I picked up Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins for the very first time.
Today, at 5 PM, I logged out of work and found myself flipping through the same pages, rereading the notes I'd left myself.
I took a moment of pause to ask myself, am I still hovering around my 40%? (That’ll make sense in a minute.)
If there's one thing that’s stayed with me, it’s this quote:
“In the military we always say we don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”— David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me
It’s uncomfortable. But it’s true.
Here are three takeaways from the book—what they meant to me then, and how they continue to anchor me now:
🔹 Callous your mind: Goggins compares mental strength to physical endurance—you build it through repetition, exposure, and doing hard things on purpose.
When we choose to take on difficult challenges—and do so repeatedly—we build something stronger than confidence: we build proof.
Revisiting those memories isn't about pride but a reminder that we've already done the hard thing. And we can do it again.
For me, that meant trekking to Everest Base Camp. Becoming a Certified Yoga Instructor. Earning a second Master’s degree. Learning to code. Running 6+ Half Marathons in the last 6 months.
🔹 The accountability mirror: Goggins would face himself in the mirror with honest self-assessments—what he wasn’t doing, where he was holding back.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful tools, but also, from what I've learned, can be quite complex.
Personally, I struggled with an inner monologue that was deeply self-critical, and what I learned is that over time, that can deteriorate one's sense of self-worth and confidence.
What I did instead? Over time, I've worked on building a "Personal Board of Directors" and mentors whom I lean on and trust to have my best interests at heart.
Staying accountable is the deepest form of self-love; it is staying committed and showing up consistently for that future that you've envisioned for yourself, but that, in no way, dilutes the value of all that you bring to the table today.
🔹 You’re not even close to your limit: In the book, Goggins says that most of the time, when people think they’ve hit their limit, they’re only operating at about 40% of their true capacity.
This thought haunts me at the 11th mile of a half marathon.
Should I have signed up for a full?
I wonder if a very different world of possibilities exists beyond our 40%
For me, this shift wasn’t just about working harder for longer—it was also about working wiser and living more deliberately.
For example, as an introvert with a limited social bandwidth, it was asking myself if I was spending my time building mutually energizing relationships that spark inspiration and action.
If you’re moving through a hard season, seek out—and build—your own evidence that you’re stronger than you feel.
Can’t Hurt Me challenged me—and sometimes, that’s all it takes: a shift in mindset.
Comments