Can't Hurt Me - Master Your Mind And Defy The Odds

There are books that inspire you.

And then there are books that quietly look you in the eye and say:

“You think you’re strong? Let’s test that.”

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins is, so far, my second favorite book ... right after Start with Why by Simon Sinek. Start With Why shaped my purpose. This one shredded my comfort.

And that’s saying something.

Because this one didn’t just motivate me.

It humbled me.

I Thought I Was Resilient

I got through a lot in my life. Building businesses, navigating motherhood, fighting cancer, rebuilding, pushing through fear. I genuinely thought...

“I’m resilient.”

And I am.

But reading Goggins? It humbled me. Not to make me feel small, but to show me there’s a higher bar. He lived a level of discipline and mental toughness that reset what resilience looks like.

I realized resilience has levels. And I’m not at the ceiling yet.

That realization didn’t discourage me. It expanded me.

Your Mind Quits Before Your Body Does

Goggins’ story is raw. He grew up in trauma, faced racism, abuse, poverty, self-doubt, and instead of letting it define him, he weaponized discipline.

Goggins’ idea is brutal and simple. When you think you’re done, you’re only at a fraction of your capacity. He calls it the 40% Rule, not a literal metric, but a mental framework. He says you are capable of far more than you think, but your mind will tap out long before your body needs to. That matters for founders and mothers alike because so many of our limits are created in our heads.

And that framework hit me hard. Because really, how many times do we

• Quit a launch because it’s uncomfortable?

• Stop showing up because engagement drops?

• Pull back because we’re tired?

What if we’re just at 40%?

Things that stuck with me

The Accountability Mirror

Goggins used sticky notes on his mirror to call out lies and set raw goals. Brutal? Yes. Effective? Also yes. No fluff. No excuses. No “but I tried.”

Just truth.

As a business owner and cancer survivor, that practice forced me to name the places i am uncomfortable with. Because resilience isn’t just surviving hardship. It’s telling yourself the truth about:

Where you’re playing small

Where you’re coasting

Where you’re capable of more

That part? Uncomfortable. But necessary.

The Cookie Jar

When things get hard, pull your wins. Your past survival proves you can handle the present. If I fought cancer, built a brand from scratch, reinvented myself or kept going when everyone said “no,” my jar is overflowing, I should use it.

Your cookie jar is stacked. The problem is… we forget to open it.

Callousing the mind

Discipline isn’t motivation. Discipline is practice. It’s the muscle you build when you keep showing up for the hard stuff. Self-accountability changes everything. We fail because we pull back when it gets hard.

This book is intense.

It’s extreme.

It’s not balanced.

It’s not gentle.

And that’s the point.

Goggins isn’t preaching comfort.

He’s preaching ownership.

No blaming circumstances.

No waiting for motivation.

No outsourcing discipline.

And while I don’t believe everyone needs to live at ultramarathon intensity.

I do believe we underestimate ourselves constantly.

I know, coz I do.

Reading this didn’t make me feel weak.

It made me feel responsible.

Responsible for my potential.

Responsible for my discipline.

Responsible for how high I set my own standards.

After finishing this book, I asked myself..

Where am I operating at 40% in my life or business?

Not in the obvious areas. In the subtle ones.

In the small pulls-back, the stalled launches, the ideas I shelf, the risk I postpone.

So this time, I’m re-committing. More disciplined blocks, more truth in the mirror, and actually opening my cookie jar when I need courage.

Goggins helped me realized that resilience isn’t just surviving what life throws at you. It’s choosing to push when quitting would be easier.

And thats why this book now sits second on my shelf.

Now let me ask you something real..

Where are you stronger than you think but still playing smaller than you could?

If you're operating at 40%, what would it look like to push through?