Alessandra is reading…

Reading whatever I want since 2020 (when I graduated from grad school).

can’t hurt me by david goggins

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins Review

Photographed the book with my sweet basil plant and a celosia – two things I’ve been working on since finishing this book have been gardening more and maintaining vegetables.

Goggins had a traumatic childhood. But he didn’t let that make him become a statistic. Goggins did (and has continued doing) the complete opposite.

Goggins became a Navy SEAL, went to Army Ranger school, became an ultra marathoner, completed Badwater, and more. 

“Not all physical and mental limitations are real.”

David Goggins

This book has inspired me so much. I’ve been wanting to change myself and working on it for quite some time and this book lit the fire under my ass. I’m going to keep going…but the work isn’t done just because I’ve finished the book and just because I’m feeling motivated. 

I think being inspired by this book and Goggins himself depends on someone’s personality and background. It takes a certain mindset to read, apply, and do it. Like I’ve said in previous posts, this book is not for the weak of heart. Goggins challenges you to own up to your mistakes and your need to change and questions why you haven’t changed it.

“When shit gets real, we need to draw inspiration to push through our own exhaustion, depression, pain, and misery. We need to spark a bunch of small fires to become the motherfucking inferno.”

David Goggins

I’m going to call me out right now.

“Only you can master your mind, which is what it takes to live a bold life filled with accomplishments most people consider beyond their capability.”

David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

What I want to work on to be a better me:

  • Reviewing books
  • Blogging
  • Start writing
  • Exercise more consistently
  • Walk the dog longer
  • Spend more time outside

What I need to do more of and stop avoiding:

  • Cleaning throughout the week
  • Dishes as soon as they get dirty instead of waiting a couple days until I “feel like doing it”
  • Garden more

What I need to start

  • I know how I learn. I need to buy books that have tools labeled so I can study them when I’m not at work. I can’t expect my boss to always be able to show me all the tools.
  • Blast more. Have a better go-getter attitude when it comes to blasting. I know I can’t hold the hose and blast for as long as my boss – but I also couldn’t squat as much as I can now before I started working on it again. So not being as strong can’t be an excuse anymore because once I start working on it, I’ll get stronger. And as I keep working on it, I’ll get even stronger and stronger until I’ll laugh at my past self for not wanting to blast since I wasn’t as strong and wouldn’t last as long.
  • Learn more about how WordPress works. If, for some reason, this becomes my main platform for writing and reviewing, I want to know my way around it better. Instead of wondering about how to do certain things on here – for instance, I want to change my “Every book I’ve ever read” page so it’s not as physically long to scroll through and the authors and titles are more accessible – I want to know how to do those things and actually do them.
  • Learn how to grow vegetables. I want to stop being reliant on grocery stores. I want to know where my food’s coming from. I bought basil seeds a while ago to start and have yet to – I need to if I want to learn at some point. 

Specific goals that I want to accomplish:

  • Write a book
  • Hike Mount Washington (and more, harder hikes)
  • Deadlift 200 lbs
  • Run a marathon

Some of these goals haven’t even been trusted to my closest confidants – because they’ve been something I’ve wanted to do but am not confident enough in myself to even speak of them.

It hasn’t been easy and definitely won’t get easier. I’ve set some pretty high goals for myself. I’ve been challenging myself – but not like this. That’s the thing of challenging yourself to be better – you may fall off the horse, but you need to get back up if you want to make lasting changes to yourself. You can’t have one bad day or a bad week, etc., and think “well, that just goes to show I’m weak and I’ll never be able to get this accomplished.” NO! That’s giving up, and you didn’t choose to push yourself with hard goals to just give up. And these are goals that will take a long time to accomplish – I’m not in it for some short, easy goals. 

Read on and push your limits. You’re not living if you’re not competing with yourself.

Alessandra DeFonzo

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