David Goggins: How to Build Immense Inner Strength

In this episode, my guest is David Goggins, retired Navy SEAL, highly accomplished ultramarathoner, best-selling author, and influential public speaker.

David explains how he mastered his inner dialogue to build extraordinary levels of discipline and mental and physical toughness.

He describes how confronting his early hardships, including physical and mental abuse, learning disorders, and obesity, became a practice of deep and excruciating self-reflection — eventually allowing him to transmute those experiences into a superhuman work ethic.

This conversation is a unique window into David Goggins’ process in that it focuses both on the underlying science and how David manages and directs his inner dialogue.

It’s a conversation that will inform and inspire anyone wondering how exactly to go about building discipline and confidence and reach their potential.

Note: This conversation includes profanity. Some content might not be suitable for all audiences and ages.

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*Timestamps*
00:00:00 David Goggins
00:03:22 Sponsors: Maui Nui, AeroPress & Eight Sleep
00:07:58 Learning, Studying & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
00:14:59 Writing & Learning, ADHD & Focus
00:20:35 Friction, Focus, “Conqueror’s Mindset”
00:25:16 Early Hardships, “Haunted”
00:30:48 Anger, Social Media; Growth & Challenges
00:36:14 Sponsor: AG1
00:37:11 Stick vs. Carrot, Negative Inner Dialogue, “Stay Hard”
00:42:39 Inspiration, Characters & Self Image
00:46:09 Willpower & Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex
00:53:23 Friction & the “Suck”, Willpower
00:59:14 Building Willpower, Brain & “No Days Off” Mentality
01:08:52 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:09:54 Losing Weight, Challenge & Willpower
01:18:47 Self-Criticism & Discipline; Recovery; Stutter & Building Confidence
01:26:45 Relationships & Honest Conversations, People Pleasing
01:34:49 Self-Reflection & Empowerment
01:39:06 Unseen Work, Real Passion & Purpose, Medicine Cabinet Analogy
01:46:32 Feeling Lost, Self-Reflection & Individual Process
01:54:11 Challenges & Two Internal Voices, Misunderstood
01:59:32 Running, Smoke Jumping; Success; Willpower & Perishable Skills
02:07:04 Self-Reflection & Action, Distractions
02:15:27 Inner Dialogue; Failing Properly
02:24:59 Introspection & Unconscious Mind, Cleaning “Cupboards”
02:35:19 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#HubermanLab #DavidGoggins

[hubermanlab]

Thank you for watching. If you enjoyed this topic and episode, please click the "like" button and subscribe to our channel here on YouTube.
Thank you for your interest in science! -- Andrew

[bigmyke]

Goggins is a perfect example of Marcus Aurelius’ quote “waste no more time arguing about what a good man is, be one”

[mehmane_li]

I am 15 years old now and I am writing this from 2024. This podcast has changed my life, I am forgetting the past and starting to work, I know it will be difficult, but I will try to endure. My goal is to study medicine and become an excellent doctor. I hope I can achieve my goal.

[gvzivnk]

Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”
Goggins: “I can, therefore I do”

[alpotato]

This guy is a multimillionaire. He doesn’t need to grind. He keeps grinding and being useful to other people. This is someone to look up to. This guy is a real life hero.

[AnimeSlaps]

What a wonderful way to start the new year!

[lolalblack]

I'm 58 a female and at one point I weighed 300 lbs. I'm only 5' tall! I have MS and have been in a nursing home 3 separate times. When I left the last time I couldn't walk 50' without someone in each arm and a wheelchair behind me. I was bedridden for 10 years. I decided I wasn't going out that way. I walked halfway to my neighbors house. Long story short, I ultimately ended up waking from my home back to same nursing home. When I walked in, Noone knew who I was! They thought I was there to visit someone! The director of the PT department had me walk for him. I quote, "If I hadn't seen it for myself, it's never believed it! You're the closest thing to an honest to God miracle that I've ever seen!" That was years ago. I've been great ever since the moment I made the choice! Thank you, David, for keeping it real!!

[YkerValerio]

I'm 42 and I wish I learned all this 30 years ago. Wasted time is an ugly mf and I'm so grateful to find out all these lessons now. It's way late, but not too late.

[mangeshpuranik]

Bloody hell. What an explosive start to 2024. Kudos to Andrew, one of the most useful podcasts around.

[nicolasrabouille]

2 months later, this episode literally changed my life. I go for the suck everyday, working out 6 days a week, signed up for half an ironman, and keep on fighting everyday for that perishable skill.

8 months go, i started changing my life around, since then I lost 55 pounds, started cooking, stopped smoking and drinking and did my first triathlon.

Let me tell you that this podcast locked in this mindset for the rest of my life.

I will never be able to thank you both enough for

[PencilPusher]

I stopped the video at the 1:04:33 mark and went on a 3 mile run at 4:30am … 😅 not gonna lie it was worth the tiredness I feel right now

[ryan]

drop everything you're doing and find an book - unveiling your hidden potential(bruce thornwood), trust me on this one

[lazarrandjelovic]

David Goggins is the human representation of the phrase " just do it"

[ashersage]

I’m “49 and a multi millionaire. I don’t have to do anything.”

Blows my mind hearing that flex. He is right. He’s accomplished so much and is STILL pushing a piece of himself. Paramedic? A multi millionaire moving into being a paramedic? Amazing David. Love this man! Thanks for inspiring us DAILY

[bolts_hockey_]

FAVORITE QUOTES

22:08 - "using minimal brainpower...you dont know how great you are"

24:00 - "you can't put obsession, etc in a book...you have to experience it"

38:54 - "you know exactly what to do it just sucks doing it"

41:04 - "no magic pill just out work others"

44:36 - "who can do it? I can (discipline)

45:28 - "hard work looks horrible"

45:42 - "stuck in dungeon but you have key"

50:12 - "develop strong mind through suffering"

50:46 - "look back on hard times...HAVE TO go back"

51:33 "it sucks it's just life...have to do it"

52:00 - "no life hacks bro"

52:46 "woke up like fuck man I'm a POS...override that"

54:16 - (not David) - "anything you like to do isn't gonna enhance life"

56:32 - "when you're nothing and change yourself"

57:00 "I'm missing something? no...you find it in the suck"

58:51 - "you against you"

59:08 - "the problem is you and you don't want to fix it"

1:00:35 - "I've built my entire life"

1:01:09 - "why most people don't want to build willpower? it's scary...go down the scary journey"

1:01:54 - "I hurt but I still run"

1:03:18 - (not David) " antigular mid singulet cortex is activated when we move our body when we don't wanna move"...dopamine

1:06:15 - "he's crazy... something you can't imagine yourself doing"

1:07:14 - "hard work creates one of ones, if this is what it takes to be better?"

1:07:40 - "so fucking mad"

1:07:58 - "wake up...coffee, pancakes, no - straight to work"

1:09:55 - (not David) "what I USED to do and the circumstances being different"

1:13:45 - "something in you has to wake up"

[TheBrighterSpider]

We live in a soft society. We've all been cursed, as it were, with the problems of abundance. Obesity. Diabetes. A cell phone for everyone. Desk jobs. We've lost the skills our ancestors had, which allowed them to wake up before dawn every day, crawl two hours through a mine tunnel just to clock in and start getting paid, and then crawl two miles back to get home to dinner. Our ancestors would laugh in the face of the self pity our society has come to cherish and enshrine as gospel. We think skipping a single meal is cruel and unusual. Thank you, David Goggins for speaking real and cutting through the popular hurricane of entitlement, blame and excuses we are deluged with every day. I had already started finding my way down this path of suck, but I was not going far enough, sinking deep enough and not seeking enough pain. I needed to hear you today.

[souravbanerjee]

seven months ago I discovered Goggins, feels like ages, can't even recognize myself. started working out, gave up addictions(smoking, drinking), started learning to code for a job transition and I can say with certainty that no matter what happens now I am not stopping. this world is full of suffering and I will choose my own suffering or life will choose it for me. for me and so many people like me who went through abusive households, racism, depression, and hopelessness all we ever needed was proof that it could be done what this guy did. best of luck, see ya.

[reallifemain]

"Most battles are won/lost in our own minds"

- David Goggins

[jakeboyer]

Never realized David has ADHD. I struggle with it everyday, with or without medication. The way he thinks is the best way to understand focus and drive for someone with struggles retaining information. You truly have to put all your mental energy into "conquering" whatever it is you think you can't do. The road to our accomplishments is not easy, and its never enough when you master whatever it is your after. There's always something else that has to get done. Its exhausting, but we all just want to make a positive impact on the world and make the best of the short time we have.

[thornburymatthew]

Who here also visits this same video from time to time?