January 1, 2024 • 2hr 33min

David Goggins: How to Build Immense Inner Strength

Huberman Lab

In this episode, Andrew Huberman interviews David Goggins, a retired Navy SEAL, accomplished ultramarathon runner, and bestselling author known for his extreme mental and physical toughness. Goggins shares insights into how he developed his extraordinary willpower and discipline, overcoming severe early life challenges including abuse, learning disabilities, and obesity. The conversation explores Goggins' inner dialogue, his approach to building mental strength, and his philosophy on personal growth and achievement.

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Key Takeaways

David Goggins developed extraordinary mental toughness and discipline by confronting his early hardships and engaging in deep self-reflection
He emphasizes the importance of internal dialogue and developing multiple "voices" to push through challenges
Goggins believes true growth comes from embracing discomfort and friction rather than seeking comfort
He advocates for spending time in introspection to understand oneself deeply, even if it's uncomfortable
Willpower is described as a perishable skill that must be constantly exercised and maintained
Goggins caps his financial success to ensure he continues challenging himself and maintaining his mental edge
He stresses the importance of honesty with oneself and others about one's true nature and capabilities

Introduction

In this episode, Andrew Huberman interviews David Goggins, a retired Navy SEAL, accomplished ultramarathon runner, and bestselling author known for his extreme mental and physical toughness. Goggins shares insights into how he developed his extraordinary willpower and discipline, overcoming severe early life challenges including abuse, learning disabilities, and obesity. The conversation explores Goggins' inner dialogue, his approach to building mental strength, and his philosophy on personal growth and achievement.

Topics Discussed

Learning and Studying with ADHD (7:58)

Goggins discusses his struggles with learning due to ADHD and how he overcame them:

He has to study the same material repeatedly to retain information
Writes everything down by hand to create a "photographic memory" of the material
Emphasizes that his success comes from extreme effort, not natural talent

"I have to go over the same page over and over and over and over again while [others] can look at that page... and learn it right then as she's quizzing me."

Friction, Focus, and the "Conqueror's Mindset" (20:35)

Goggins explains his approach to embracing difficulty:

Describes experiencing constant friction and discomfort in pursuit of growth
Views challenges as necessary for developing mental toughness
Emphasizes the need for intense focus and discipline in all areas of life

"Friction is growth... To do that friction, you don't wake up in the morning time and go to the coffee maker. Matter of fact, sometimes you don't even sleep."

Early Hardships and Being "Haunted" (25:16)

Goggins reflects on how his difficult past shaped him:

Experienced physical and emotional abuse as a child
Felt deeply insecure and developed destructive habits like lying
Uses the memory of past struggles as motivation to keep pushing himself

"I became haunted by the mere fact that this is my existence. And you got to live with that. I lived with it for a lot of years."

Negative Inner Dialogue and "Stay Hard" Mentality (37:11)

Goggins discusses his internal mental processes:

Maintains a harsh inner dialogue to push himself
Rejects concepts like motivation and passion as unreliable
Focuses on consistent action regardless of emotional state

"There's no magic potion. There's no, oh, let me wake up and look at some s**t. No, all those words are overused. They're bullshit. It's all bullshit. Just do."

Willpower and the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex (46:09)

Huberman explains the neuroscience of willpower:

The anterior mid-cingulate cortex is associated with willpower
This brain region grows when people do things they don't want to do
It's smaller in obese individuals and larger in athletes

Goggins relates this to his own experiences of constantly pushing himself to do difficult things.

Building Willpower and the "No Days Off" Mentality (59:14)

Goggins elaborates on his approach to maintaining mental toughness:

Views willpower as a perishable skill that must be constantly exercised
Continues to challenge himself even after achieving success
Believes comfort and complacency lead to regression

"Willpower that I have never seen in anybody in my life. It is a haunting force that just keeps me going. And I know that that is my strength."

Self-Criticism, Discipline, and Building Confidence (1:18:47)

Goggins shares how he developed confidence through harsh self-discipline:

Used extreme self-criticism to motivate himself to change
Overcame a severe stutter through building overall confidence
Believes in the power of honest self-reflection

"For me to gain confidence in myself, this fucked up kid has got to do a lot of fucked up s**t to gain confidence."

Relationships and Honest Conversations (1:26:45)

Goggins discusses his approach to relationships:

Prioritizes honesty about his lifestyle and needs
Ensures family members are taken care of so he can focus on his goals
Believes in direct communication about expectations

"I make sure that my family has everything they need... Those who are part of my family, I give them everything they need so they can leave me the f**k alone."

Self-Reflection and Empowerment (1:34:49)

Goggins emphasizes the importance of honest self-examination:

Believes most people avoid truly confronting their flaws and weaknesses
Sees self-honesty as the key to personal growth and empowerment
Encourages facing one's fears and insecurities head-on

"Your truth is real. You come out every day, man. With a way of talking to people that people don't have. Cause there's no truth behind them."

Unseen Work, Passion and Purpose (1:39:06)

Goggins talks about the internal work that drives his success:

Emphasizes the importance of solitary training and self-motivation
Derives strength from overcoming past challenges alone
Believes true passion comes from within, not external motivation

"I can extract [motivation] immediately when I need to. Because when you train alone, and I lived alone for so many years in this misery, and you're able to get out of it by yourself, I can take myself to such a level of real, real passion and purpose."

Challenges, Internal Voices, and Being Misunderstood (1:54:11)

Goggins elaborates on his internal dialogue:

Describes having multiple internal voices, including critical ones
Uses these voices to push himself through challenges
Accepts being misunderstood as a consequence of his unusual approach

"You have all these voices that are telling you you're fucked up. And this gonna be hard, but for some reason, you put so much practice into you that you can ignore every one of them that are telling you you're not gonna f**king make it and still be able to f**king make it."

Willpower as a Perishable Skill (1:59:32)

Goggins explains why he continues to challenge himself:

Views willpower as a skill that deteriorates without constant use
Deliberately caps his financial success to maintain his edge
Continues high-risk activities like smoke jumping to test himself

"I cap success. Because I know that if I ever go twelve months out of the year and don't put several every day I'm going at it... I go right back to ground zero."

Self-Reflection, Action, and Overcoming Distractions (2:07:04)

Goggins describes his process for personal growth:

Emphasizes the need for deep introspection without distractions
Believes in creating a unique path rather than following others
Stresses the importance of taking action based on self-knowledge

"Once you sit down with yourself and say, okay, I don't wanna be like Michael Jordan or Jim Brown... I'm gonna be David f**king Goggins. And that looks like this. It just came. Everything flooded."

Inner Dialogue and "Failing Properly" (2:15:27)

Goggins elaborates on his approach to failure and self-talk:

Learned to "fail properly" as a crucial skill
Uses multiple internal voices to navigate challenges
Emphasizes the importance of perseverance through repeated failures

"I taught myself how to fail. And people [say] that's so depressing. Is it? When you're 300 pounds and you can't read and write and you're fucked up... how many times you're gonna f**king fail on that process?"

Introspection and the Unconscious Mind (2:24:59)

Huberman and Goggins discuss the importance of deep self-examination:

Huberman references the power of the unconscious mind
Goggins describes "cleaning out the cupboards" of his psyche daily
Both emphasize the difficulty and necessity of confronting one's deepest fears and insecurities

"I do spring clean every f**king day in those dark cupboards, those dark cabinets, the one I start with first, that's the real me, man. That's the real me."

Conclusion

This conversation with David Goggins provides a raw and unfiltered look into the mindset of someone who has pushed themselves to extreme limits. Goggins emphasizes the importance of brutal self-honesty, constant self-challenge, and embracing discomfort as paths to personal growth and achievement. While his methods may seem extreme to many, they offer valuable insights into the nature of willpower, self-discipline, and the human capacity for transformation. Goggins' story serves as both an inspiration and a challenge to listeners, encouraging them to dig deeper into their own potential and confront their limitations head-on.