[Field Notes] How to Get Comfortable with Pain
“Stay hard doesn’t mean be physically tough. It means callous your mind to push through pain, suffering, and discomfort.” - David Goggins, Never Finished
This book isn’t motivational—it’s a gut check.
Goggins doesn’t write to inspire you. He writes to challenge you. His whole message is simple: It doesn’t matter what’s happened to you. It’s still your responsibility.
Your responsibility to take ownership. Your responsibility to stop running from your limits. Your responsibility to build discipline when everything in you wants to quit.
The Thesis:
What happens to you may not be your fault. But what you do with it? That’s on you.
Here’s what you need to know…
[Radical Honesty is Non-Negotiable]
If you can’t be real with yourself, you won’t grow.
One way to practice:
Record a voice note of yourself venting—talk like you would in your head.
Play it back. Listen as the observer.
You’ll hear what’s true.
[You Can’t Outsmart the Walls]
The more you avoid what’s hard, the more trapped you become.
The only way out is through.
[Discipline Beats Talent, Every Time]
Talent doesn’t matter if you’re not willing to grind.
Discipline isn’t a one-time thing—it’s how you show up when no one’s watching.
[Obsess Over the Seconds]
Big change doesn’t happen in big moments.
It happens in one-second decisions—the moments when you want to quit, but don’t.
Be present enough to catch those moments. That’s where growth lives.
[Finish What You Start]
“Don’t finish when you’re tired. Finish when you’re done.”
Quitting when it’s hard becomes a habit. Finishing builds trust in yourself.
Final Thoughts:
This book is about accountability—without excuse, without blame.
You don’t have to like Goggins’ delivery. You don’t have to agree with every tactic. But you can’t ignore the core message: You have one life. How you live it is up to you.
Till next time, with love.
Diaundra