John Hawkins: These are the 20 best motivational quotes from Navy SEAL David Goggins and Ultra-Marathoner David Goggins

David Goggins expanded my understanding of what a human being can accomplish through his actions and words. There’s nothing about his early life that would give anyone the idea that he was destined for greatness. It was actually the contrary. He went on to become a Navy SEAL and an ultra-marathoner as well as one of the most respected motivational speakers on the planet. David Goggins seems to be succeeding in an increasingly soft world. No matter if you’re referring to his books (Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds And Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within(his Instagram videosI highly recommend you to get more David Goggins into your life, whether it is his speaking ANYWHERE. These are some great quotes to get you started.

20) “If you want to get better, do the sh*t that no-one else wants to do. Do the sh*t that no-one is even thinking about doing.”

19) “I knew from experience that the best life lessons don’t appear when things go well. It’s when all your goals and pretty plans turn to sh*t that you can see your flaws and learn more about yourself.”

18) “Most people live their whole lives without ever contemplating what it means to be great. To them, greatness looks like Steph Curry, Rafael Nadal, Toni Morrison, Georgia O’Keeffe, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, or Amelia Earhart. They put all the greats on a pedestal but think of themselves as mere mortals. And that’s exactly why greatness eludes them. They turn it into some untouchable plane, impossible for almost anybody to reach, and it never even crosses their mind to aim for it.”

17) “Too often, motherf*ckers are convinced that they are challenging themselves by aiming to accomplish something they’ve done countless times before.”

16) “Recording yourself isn’t just a reliable tool for neutralizing trauma. It can change the dynamic of almost any situation or mood. If you use it properly, it can also keep you honest. One day a couple of years ago, not long after ramping up my training from ten miles of running per day to twenty or more, I felt drained and sore, too tired to run, and kept telling myself that I needed a day off. As I relaxed on the couch, I tuned into my self-talk. Then, I grabbed my recorder and whined into the microphone. I wanted to hear how it sounded out loud. I was real with myself. I cataloged my recent runs and nagging injuries and described how I thought a day off might help me. I made a solid case for a much-needed rest day, but when I played it back, the jury of one was unconvinced. Because my inner b*tch was suddenly the emperor with no clothes. Buck naked in the light of day, he was impossible to ignore and even harder to stomach. I was off the couch and out on the road in a matter of seconds.”

15) “When you’re on the older side of the age spectrum, you often get more credit than you deserve for simply showing up to do something physically challenging. Nobody expects much from you, and the temptation is there to perform to those very low expectations. Showing up is an important first step, but if you plan to show up, you may as well show the f*ck out.”

14) “Most of this generation quits the second they get talked to. It’s so easy to be great nowadays because most people are just weak. If you have any mental toughness, any fraction of self-discipline – the ability to not want to do it, but still do it – you’ll be successful.”

13) “The only thing that ever matters is the present moment. Yet too many people let their depression or regret hijack their day. They let their feelings about the past hijack their lives. Perhaps their fiancé left them at the altar, or they got fired without cause. Guess what? One day, they will pan back and realize that nobody f*cking cared about any of that but them. I don’t care what you’ve been through. I can feel bad for you. I can have sympathy for you, but my sympathy won’t get you anywhere.”

12) “Teach yourself that it isn’t ok to take the easy way out. Make sure you are bothered by the things you set out to do but did not complete or make time for in the day.”

11) “If you can get through doing things that you hate to do, on the other side is greatness.”

10) “Everybody wants a quick fix like 6-minute abs — you may get some results from it, but those results won’t be permanent. The permanent results come from you having to suffer.”

9) “When you’re exhausted, weak, and tired and everyone around you looks just as bad as you or even worse – that’s the perfect time for you to make a statement. You let everyone around you know that when their life ends, that’s when yours begins.”

8) “It’s so easy to be great nowadays because so many people are focused on efficiency: getting the most for themselves with the least amount of time and effort. Let all of them leave the gym early, skip school, take sick days. Commit to becoming the motherf*cker with a never-ending task list.”

7) “If you want to maximize minimal potential and become great in any field, you must embrace your savage side and become imbalanced, at least for a period of time. You’ll need to funnel every minute of every single day into the pursuit of that degree, that starting spot, that job, that edge. Your mind must never leave the cockpit. Sleep at the library or the office. Hoop long past sundown and fall asleep watching film of your next opponent. There are no days off, and there is no downtime when you are obsessed with being great. That is what it takes to be the baddest motherf*cker ever at what you do.”

6) “You have to build calluses on your brain just like how you build calluses on your hands. Callus your mind through pain and suffering.”

5) “When a half-assed job doesn’t bother you, it speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. And until you start feeling a sense of pride and self-respect in the work you do, no matter how small or overlooked those jobs might be, you will continue to half-ass your life.”

4) “An unprepared mind prefers a proper taper and rested legs. It prays for a clear, sixty-degree race-day morning and a tailwind that flows in both directions. And maybe a little drizzle every third mile, but only for a few seconds, to cool off. Not enough to make the trail muddy or slick. A prepared mind craves the worst conditions because it knows that pressure brings out its best and exposes almost everyone else.”

3) “You want to be uncommon amongst uncommon people. Period.”

2) “When you think you’re done, you’re only at 40% of your body’s capability.”

1) “That’s what people miss. Our lives aren’t built on hours, days, weeks, months, or years. Hell Week is 130 hours, but it’s not the hours that kill you. And it’s not the pain, the exhaustion, or the cold. It is the 468,000 seconds that you must win. It only takes one of those motherf*ckers—when it all becomes too much, and you just can’t take it anymore—to bring you down. I had to remain vigilant and manage my mind for every single one of those seconds to make it.

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101 Things All Young Adults Should Know

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