Goggins intimately understands how we hold ourselves back by telling ourselves we are incapable. He grew up in an abusive home where his father beat him up, was bullied at school, stuttered and was, at one stage, obese. The first time he ran, he made it only 400 metres. "I saw myself as the weake...

You wouldn't know it, but Goggins hates running. 

He hates it with a passion. Growing up, Goggins has always been on the larger side. He loved powerlifting and had the physique to show for it. But in the world of Ultra, such a large frame is virtually unheard of. It was just inefficient to ...

most of us spend our lives trying to avoid pain, whereas David seeks it out. He believes that you can’t possibly reach your true potential without truly pushing your limits. To get there will take some tough challenges and, yes inevitable pain.

In other words, David Goggins is the modern day stoic. But unlike the ancient philosophers who advised that we should periodically embrace suffering, Goggins has actually made suffering a habit.

the point is that you have to see yourself accomplishing something before it really happens. The mind has to conceive it before the body can achieve it.

The question he asks himself in times of struggle contains only two simple words: “what if?”

When he first walked into the Navy SEAL...

Research suggests that statement – the 40% rule – has some truth. We are often physically more capable than we perceive ourselves to be. For instance, researchers found that subjects who were given a placebo but told it was caffeine were able to lift significantly more weight than those who were ...