If I hadn’t started taking MMA lessons, I’d probably never have stumbled upon David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me book. I’m glad I did — because now I can share my honest take after finishing it.

This book is raw inspiration. At its core, it’s the classic underdog story — but on steroids. Growing up with the chaos of my parents’ broken marriage and often having to fend for myself, I could relate. A hard starting position doesn’t just toughen you up; it forges you. It’s painful, but also ass-kicking.

I’ve always thought of myself as a tough guy. My father is tough, and even though I was a bit of a chickenshit in my teenage years, life threw enough shitstorms at me to make me stronger. But even with all that, I’ve never come close — physically — to what Goggins describes in his book. His level is… otherworldly.

When I zoomed out from those 364 pages, here’s what I saw: it’s a book about pushing your body and mind way past the point you thought possible. The question I kept asking myself while reading was: How much is enough? Like David, I’ll never settle for less. But unlike him, I’ve chosen to spread the pain out over the long game.

And here’s the paradox. The phrase Can’t Hurt Me isn’t really true, in my opinion. Every record broken, every barrier pushed not by 1% but by 20 or 30% — it all hurt David. Sometimes badly. Sometimes, with injuries that could have ended him. What’s impressive is that he kept going anyway.

Only with age and wisdom did he realize he needed stretching, recovery, and balance. But that part you have to read between the lines, because most of the book is about his obsession with becoming an unstoppable terminator.

My main takeaway? The human body and mind can go far beyond what we think is “maximum capacity.” However, perhaps the sustainable approach is to explore that potential at your own pace, rather than diving headfirst into the fire.

Still, David — you are the living terminator.