I read a book last summer, “Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet” by Jesse Itzler—an enjoyable and hilarious read. Itzler, already an intense guy, hires David Goggins, possibly one of the most intense people on the planet, to train him for a month. Goggins had me at, “This ain’t a dress rehearsal, bitch.”

This year, Goggins published his first book. It’s part autobiography, part inspirational (Seal style, of course). It was honest, visceral, action-oriented and very moving—lots to learn from here. If you’re in a rut, need some inspiration or just want to marvel at the resilience of the human spirit, I highly recommend reading it. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Our governor is buried deep in our minds, intertwined with our very identity. It knows what and who we love and hate; it’s read our whole life story and forms the way we see ourselves and how we’d like to be seen. It’s the software that delivers personalized feedback—in the form of pain and exhaustion, but also fear and insecurity, and it uses all of that to encourage us to stop before we risk it all. But, here’s the thing, it doesn’t have absolute control. Unlike the governor in an engine, ours can’t stop us unless we buy into its bullshit and agree to quit.”

Worth writing down