“There’s no f*ing life hack. To grow…(you have to) do it, and do it, and do it... That’s the hack. The hack is it’s going to suck. It’s you against you.” – David Goggins

Enduring hardship and suffering are essential for developing inner strength and living a virtuous life. It’s a philosophy that can often be a hard pill to swallow.

As humans, we are naturally averse to pain. Neurologically and instinctively, our brain learns to avoid situations that may inflict pain. Conversely, humans seek the release of dopamine, which signals the motivation and desire for a rewarding experience. When we encounter difficult situations in our lives, we often look for answers; however, when the solution is painful, we hesitate and sometimes decide to live and accept the situation by taking the easy way out.

I recently came across an Andrew Huberman podcast featuring David Goggins. David Goggins is most known for his raw willingness to share his unfiltered and ongoing life journey to finding his “purpose”. From an abusive and challenging childhood, being diagnosed with a learning disability, ADHD, and sickle cell, suffering from social anxiety, and being over 300 lbs., David developed his own philosophy of mental and physical toughness to achieve his status as a highly regarded retired U.S. Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, endurance athlete, and internationally known motivational speaker.

Similar to ancient Stoics like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, a few of David’s life philosophies and principles include callousing the mind, embracing the suck, and staying hard. He believes that endurance, discipline, and persistence are ways to prove character, resilience, and control over your mind. That suffering, pain, and hardship are necessary and even desirable to reveal inner strength. And freedom comes through discipline as hardship liberates the person.

While David Goggins is an exceptional human being, we can all appreciate the process of discovery, self-awareness, and experimentation, as painful as it may be. His individualistic view of shu ha ri challenges us to continue learning, growing, and striving for personal mastery.

Missing legs still run.
Calloused mind defies the pain.
Freedom in each step.