Can't Hurt Me Summary

Forewords

Can't Hurt Me: How to Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, written by retired Navy SEAL David Goggins, was independently published in 2018. The dual purposes of Can't Hurt Me are to tell the tale of Goggins' life and to act as a guide for developing mental discipline.

The book emphasizes Goggins's accomplishments in both the physical and cerebral realms, but it also functions as a self-help manual without resorting to any fast fixes.

The reader is the story's protagonist, as Goggins is eager to emphasize throughout. The book's goal is to support the reader's desire for self-improvement by providing motivational stories and supplemental "challenges," which are training activities to fortify personal resolve. The book comprises stories of Goggins's triumphs (and failures) and his ongoing quest to overcome adversity.

David Goggins takes readers on a brutal and frank rollercoaster ride through his extraordinary life, from his early hardships, an abusive father, poverty, obesity, and adversity he experienced as a child, to becoming one of the most renowned military leaders, endurance athletes, as well as personal trainers in the world

Introducing the Author

David Goggins is an American novelist, triathlete, ultramarathon runner, and cyclist born on February 17, 1975. He is a retired United States Navy SEAL who participated in the Iraq War. He published his debut book, Can't Hurt Me, in 2018 and its sequel, Never Finished, in 2022.

Jackie and Trunnis Goggins welcomed David on February 17, 1975. Goggins, his parents, and his younger brother, Trunnis Jr., resided in Williamsville, New York, in 1981. Goggins had talked about how, when he was six years old, he helped out at his father's skating rink with his mother and brother.

In his book Can't Hurt Me, Goggins claims that he and his family were subjected to severe and ongoing abuse by their alcoholic father before running away with their mother to Brazil, Indiana. Between leaving the Air Force and joining the Navy, Goggins served as a fumigator for pest control.

Goggins started long-distance running to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation after three of his colleagues perished in an Afghan chopper crash in 2005 while serving in Operation Red Wings. The Foundation awards children of slain special operations personnel grants and scholarships for further education. Goggins has raised over US$2 million for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation by participating in endurance competitions, including the Badwater Ultramarathon, three times.

The Tone of the Book

Compared to traditional motivational novels, the vocabulary of this book is considerably different, and Goggins' narrating style is mostly to blame for this. When evaluating the writer's writing style, you can't help but draw connections to his experience in the military special forces, given the occasionally harsh language.

According to general agreement, one thing that sets this book apart from others that fall into the self-help/motivational genre is that Goggins is "brutally honest" in his narration. The challenges in his personal life and professional failures, which take up a significant chunk of the book, were well received by readers.

Goggins is much more relevant to the audience than most other "how I made it" stories because the book is not about a "one-track success story" but rather highlights a guy who experienced many ups and downs before reaching success.

The majority of readers took note of the book's frequent use of profanity and swearing. Although Goggins wrote in a heavy tone, most readers still found the book enjoyable since they understood that he was trying to sound "motivating" and get them through a difficult time.

Some readers considered The language insulting, and this perception eclipsed the fact that it was inspiring. For them, this was a deal-breaker since using " testosterone-laden " terminology made them uncomfortable and "indigent and discontent."

Summary

Can't Hurt Me is an autobiographical account of Goggins's path from a rough upbringing to a successful military and public speaking career. He describes the traumas, setbacks, mental illnesses, horrifying physical wounds, and interpersonal conflict along the road. His objective is to utilize his life experience to inspire others to improve their endeavors.

Goggins has been fortunate throughout his life to come into contact with music, movies, and people who inspire him and help him reach and realize his full potential. He is trying to do two things: return his obligation (and then some) and make a comparable impact on his reader.

The book by Goggins, who has long served as a Navy recruiter, can likewise be viewed as a recruitment tool.

Can't Hurt Me portrays Goggins' journey of personal growth from his early years to the present (2018), when he has just completed a 20-year military career and is employed in wildland fire control. His first eight years were spent in a middle-class neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, with an unbroken nuclear family.

However, things don't always look as they do from the outside. He, his brother, and their mother, Jackie, all experience severe abuse from Goggins' father.

At some point, Jackie and her two sons take refuge in a little Indiana town in the countryside. They manage to get away from Goggins' father's abuse but encounter new problems. Goggins has a stammer and is quite anxious. He experiences academic lag.

In his teenage years, he encountered overt racism. Then, one night in Indianapolis, the guy engaged to his mother was killed. He was the first positive male role model Goggins had, and he was adored and revered by him.

After graduating from high school, Goggins enlists in the Air Force, serves for four years, and then finds employment as an exterminator in Indianapolis. He resolves to change his life one evening while cleaning a particularly repulsive restaurant.

Currently weighing 300 pounds, Goggins still intends to try out for the Navy SEALs, an elite special operations group. Goggins works hard at school for three months and sheds almost 100 pounds. He succeeds in the examinations required to enter BUD/S, a rigorous six-month training course that would eventually result in his becoming a SEAL.

Before finally realizing his ambition, Goggins must make three unsuccessful attempts at BUD/S training due to severe injuries. During these training sessions, he is physically tortured and learning to strengthen his mentality. Despite several failures during his career, Goggins succeeds in various athletic and professional objectives. After graduating from Army Ranger training and earning his freefall certification, he finally became the face of Navy recruitment, touring the nation and motivating youth. Goggins go on to inspire countless numbers of young people to achieve their dreams and develop into very in-demand public speaker. He motivates people by sharing his story and his illustration of tremendous toughness.

In the meantime, Goggins pursues a second profession as a marathon runner. He talks about how he got into ultramarathons and improved as a runner. He completes challenging events like the Badwater 135, Frozen Otter, and Hurt 100, calling for extraordinary physical stamina over protracted distances in challenging conditions. In these competitions, he consistently places in the top five. Goggins also prepares for and participates in the Ironman and Ultraman triathlons. He breaks the record in the process with 4,030 pull-ups accomplished in a day.

Along his voyage, Goggins faces significant obstacles. He finds a hole in his heart as an adult and has two heart operations after having previously participated in wars and raced ultramarathons. Later, he gets sick, so he cannot leave his bed for several weeks. Despite this, he keeps moving forward and never mopes or gives up, even when the physicians cannot assist him. He consistently exploits other people's criticism of him to motivate himself.

He shows his love and thanks those supporting him on his quest. The book finishes with a challenge for the reader for each chapter. Every time, the reader is given a job corresponding to the preceding chapter's theme development. These "challenges" build upon one another, and if the reader takes the time to finish them, they could aid in helping one adopt the way of thinking that Goggins promotes throughout the book.

Bottomline

Goggins identifies the internal cause of change as negative self-talk about flaws, limits, or failures. Instead of allowing it to fester, he uses the negativity to hold himself responsible and develop into the person he desires.

He works on shaving his face and scalp while standing in front of the mirror, facing himself in the eyes, and speaking to himself. An inspired attitude that reinforces the innate desire to advance is what is intended to be ritualized. For one's acts and objectives, one considers oneself liable.

Most readers believe that "Can't Hurt Me" is helpful well beyond these issues, even though the anecdotes in this book center on Goggins' achievements, which mainly entail strength and endurance training. The consensus among readers on the intended readership of this book is that"I think almost everyone on Earth would benefit from this book."

Most of the book's worth is in the "how to" category and focuses on topics like pushing yourself to the maximum, maximizing your life, setting and attaining objectives, and overcoming obstacles.

The sense of unrealized potential that the book elicits is an additional important part of its significance. Many readers reported feeling as though they had been aware of how much they had been skipping out on. Some readers claimed that after reading this book, they could "feel it in their bones," intellectually, as most people do, and emotionally. According to some readers, the tone and intensity of the book may be too much for others who are more sensitive, and they cautioned against reading it if you "currently suffer from depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, as well as other mental health challenges."