By Sam Makhoul
This is a special addendum to our last email about the essential ritual of daily movement. To help inspire you and give you the tools to persist with daily exercise, we would like to introduce you to a very special book.
In an era where there are so many fakers who tell us one thing and do something else, David Goggins shines with integrity and authenticity. His book Can’t Hurt Me tells a very personal story and demonstrates how strong the body really is when you develop the right mindset.
Some of us are too soft on our bodies and underestimate what we are capable of, so we use this as an excuse to skip workouts and exercise. This ultimately makes us weak, of body and mind.
When listening to this book I could not help but feel that the title was also echoing the message You Can’t Hurt You. David Goggins shows us that when it comes to the body you have to be cruel to be kind.
The more hardship your body endures the stronger it gets and in turn, the tougher your mindset becomes. This toughness translates to resilience across all areas of your life including studying and working.
Parents take note. Don’t coddle your children. The stronger you make them the better they will do in life.
His message applies equally to females who have become an easy target for well-intentioned naturopaths and health practitioners who preach self-love to a point that it is fuelling narcissist behaviour, manifested on social media. In adults generally, this pre-occupation with self-care is also leading to relationship breakdowns as people become self-help-alcoholics.
It needs to stop. I say this with the utmost of respect knowing that I too have a teenage daughter.
Women underestimate the physical and mental strength they possess. This book is as much a testament to the strength of David Goggins’ mother, who left an abusive relationship and lived in poverty to raise one of the fittest, toughest, strongest men alive.
Our parents’ and grandparent’s generation endured many hardships and discomforts. We recount proudly the stories of how they overcame odds and migrated to new countries.
Or how they worked tirelessly to give us what we have today. Or how they fought in the war to deliver our freedom.
Yet we baulk at waking early to do 10-30 minutes of exercise? The best thing we can do to honour their legacy is to endure our own pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.
In Greek, this mindset is called Philotimo. It has its roots in the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.
We need more of this in our modern-day ‘soft’ society. We need to harden up and do the tough stuff.
When you set out to do a 5km run, do 7km instead. When your personal trainer tells you to do 15 reps, do 18 instead.
When your boss tells you to hit a target or perform a task, exceed all expectations. Do it better.
Do more than anticipated. Stress is not caused by how much you work but the mindset you bring to work.
In this book, David Goggins outlines 10 challenges that are prescriptive and practical. His life story is confronting but he shares it with us NOT in a self-indulgent way.
It is not only inspiring but also highly instructive. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!
Here is the download link: Can’t Hurt Me
