yogurtlord07 's Key Ideas from Can't Hurt Me
by David Goggins

"But I didn’t walk away unscathed. When you transcend a place in time that has challenged you to your core, it feels like you’ve won a war. Don’t fall for that illusion. Your past, your deepest fears, know how to lie dormant before emerging back into your life with double the strength. You must stay vigilant." p. 77

"It was about pride, dignity, and the kind of excellence that comes from being bathed in fire, getting hit a bunch of times, and coming back for more, over and over again. They were the human equivalent of the hardest, sharpest sword you can imagine. They sought the flame, took the blows for as long as necessary, even longer, until they became reckless and lethal. They weren’t motivated. They were determined." p. 93

"When depression suffocates you, erases all light, and leaves you with nothing to cling to for hope, all you see is negativity. For me, the only way to achieve my goal was to feed on my depression. I had to turn it around and convince myself that all that doubt and anxiety was confirmation that I was no longer living aimlessly. My task might seem impossible, but at least I was back on a damn mission." p. 102

"Doing things, even small actions, that make you feel uncomfortable will help you become a strong person. The more often you can make yourself feel uncomfortable, the stronger you will become, and soon you'll develop a productive and dynamic dialogue with yourself in stressful situations." p. 109

"Everything in life is a mental game! When we're beaten down by the dramas of life, big and small, we forget that no matter how strong the pain is, no matter how horrific the torture, all bad things end. Forgetting this happens right when we give control of our emotions and actions to others, which can easily happen when the pain is at its peak." p. 123

"Once you're in the heat of the battle, everything will depend on endurance. If it’s a tough physical challenge, you'll likely have to defeat your own demons before you can take the soul of your opponent. This means rehearsing answers to the simple question that will surely bubble up as a thought: 'Why am I here?' If you know that moment is coming and have your answer ready, you'll be equipped to make the instant decision to ignore the weak part of your mind and keep moving forward. Know why you're in the fight to stay in the fight!" p. 132

"And never forget that emotional and physical distress is finite! It eventually ends. Smile at the pain and watch it fade for at least a second or two. If you manage to do that; if you manage to stretch those seconds and last longer than your opponent thinks you can, that could be enough to catch a second wind." p. 132

"But sometimes the unexpected descends like chaos, and without any warning, even the bravest among us must be prepared to take risks and perform tasks that seem beyond the possible." p. 134

"Life experience, especially negative experiences, help toughen the mind. But it’s up to you where that toughness will form. If you choose to see yourself as a victim of your circumstances in adulthood, that toughness will become resentment, protecting you from the unknown. It will make you cautious, distrustful, and possibly too angry with the world. It will make you fearful of change and inaccessible, but it won’t make you mentally tough." p. 148

"But you don’t have to let your doubts into the driver’s seat! You can tolerate doubt as a passenger in the backseat, but if you put it in the driver’s seat, failure is guaranteed. Reminding yourself that you've already overcome difficulties and survived to fight again changes the conversation in your head. This will allow you to control and manage doubt, keeping you focused on taking every single step needed to accomplish the task at hand." p. 152

"If you push yourself to overcome each lap and use that energy to maintain a strong pace, you have a great chance of recording a better time. Obviously, some days are easier than others. And the clock, or the scoreboard, doesn’t matter anyway. The reason it matters to give your all when you most want to quit is because it helps toughen your mind." p. 153

"Most of us sweep our failures and dark secrets under the rug, but when we run towards problems, that rug is lifted, and our darkness resurfaces, flooding our soul and influencing the decisions that shape our character." p. 159

"...It will be up to you to revisit your past and make peace with yourself by facing those incidents, as well as all your negative influences, and accepting them as weaknesses in your own character. Only when you identify and accept your weaknesses will you finally stop running from your past." p. 159

"Instead of focusing on sh*t you can't change, imagine visualizing what you can. Choose any obstacle in your way, or set a goal, and visualize yourself overcoming it and achieving it." p. 175

"...be ready to answer the simple questions. Why are you doing this? What is pushing you toward this achievement? Where does the darkness you're using as fuel come from? What has toughened your mind? You'll need those answers at your fingertips when you face a wall of doubt and pain." p. 175