Today I would like to continue the idea of mind set and refer you to a specific book ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ by David Goggins who is a former Navy Seal. If like me, you are fascinated by elite forces i.e. SAS, Navy Seals, and SBS this book can really teach you a lot about what is possible to achieve despite the circumstances in which you grow up, and the formative influences that you have through life. The author David Goggins had all the disadvantages growing up; an abusive father, difficult financial circumstances and multiple things that made his life extremely difficult.
What he went on to do through mental grit was to eventually pass through the training for the USA Navy Seals which is arguably the hardest training in the world. The basic premise of the book is that human beings only utilise something like 40% of their potential and the remaining 60% throughout life is unused. He also makes the very valid point that using that 60% is hard, confronting and often makes us feel like giving up. He talks about an important idea called mental callousing. This is where through hardship, determination, struggles, challenges events in life that knock us down, you can learn to build mental resilience. This is one of the key areas in the book that helps utilise the full potential for each of us.
My point is that success as you define it, is uncomfortable, and challenges our comfort zone. I firmly believe that consistently stretching your comfort zone is an absolute key to growth in life. Without it life is less fruitful. Whatever your walk-in life, whatever job you do, family you look after, children you have, studies you are trying to achieve and hobbies that you take part in, the whole concept of improvement is so vital to the mental health of all of us. This book goes a long way to explaining how the stretching of that comfort zone can be a real positive.
In terms of results, everything begins with our thinking, that then creates our feelings to create our actions. KEY CONCEPT: focus on the things you want rather than the things you don’t.
To be continued ….
