I had a fucked up childhood. I always understood that everyone has their own problems and never assumed anyone else lived in a perfect world.
But every single one of my classmates seemed to live a much better life than I did.
Having to skip school in order to clean a park from dog shit, while it was -25 celsius outside, so my mum’s work hours would count as double and we could heat our flat set me apart from the rest.
There was a time when I felt my destiny in life was suffering.
Yet listening to Can’t hurt me (and now Never Finished) put my pain and difficulty in perspective. Goggins has definitely one-upped me.
My sadness about not having a father has become gratitude. Goggins suffered as a result of his monster of a father far more than I ever could without one.
Do I really know my limits?
Listening to “Can’t Hurt Me” made me realise that my perceived limits were just mental barriers. At times, I pushed past them and gave more than I thought possible, feeling proud of the extra effort.
Understanding the mental obstacles faced by ultra marathon runners, I now know that I was never truly at my full capacity and there’s still so much more I can give.
This realisation is exciting, but I must remember that my mind tends to hold back and not always push beyond limits.
Never finished
I’m now listening to Goggins latest book, “Never finished” the audio-book-podcast is a great experience and it’s an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.
Dives from pride as a result of perseverance to deep holes of unimaginable childhood pain and suffering are brutal.
I highly recommend it to absolutely everyone who feels they have more in the tank. Never finished is not a happy-go-lucky self help book, not at all. But listening to it and not becoming motivated to improve is near impossible.
My current weight is 148kg and I am absolutely roaring to lose at least 40kgs and get into marathons and triathlons exactly because of how unlikely and difficult the thought is.
Talent is not required. Goggins is living proof. The only thing that separates me today from a marathon runner me in a year is the weakness.
In fact, I just set a reminder for myself in a year to sign up for a marathon.
Side note: I am somewhat grateful that the previous book I listened was “The Gulag archipelago” and man that is on a whole different level of sad. It almost prepared me mentally to be challenged. To endure and embrace sadness and pain. To internalise, reflect upon and learn from others suffering. But also to understand “the bad guy” and to see how easily each and every one of us can become the villain without us noticing.