Never Finished by David Goggins: Summary and Review
I’ve just finished this book “Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within” by ultramarathon runner, ex Navy SEAL, ex Air Force officer, and whatnot, David Hoggins, who is best known for his last book “Cant Hurt Me”. Here is one line message of Never Finished: Push a bit harder while thoughts of quitting come.
Some of my kindle highlights from this book (sorta like a summary)
- Norm is to quit. World will suggest you to quit, but hold on
- Evolve to a better version of yourself
- One Second Decision, out of 86400 secs in a day. To quit is a 1 sec decision, beware of it
- Rebirth is possible through discipline, only thing capable of altering your DNA. I am at my best when I am disciple of my discipline
- Learn to maximize what you have
- Attack each day with a plan of action
- Pity is soothing balm that turns toxic. It saps inner strength, makes it harder to succeed. Vicious circle of more pity
- The only thing that ever matters is present moment
- Don't feel sorry for urself. Get strategic and attack the problem
- Humility is the antidote of self pity. It allows you to take on a mission that no one else can see. Continued growth only comes when you are willing to be humble.
- A lot of us stay at life's shallow end because we fear unknowns
- Keep situational Awareness up. SA look up
- Don't get emotional/over excited at the beginning of something hard
- Incremental progress is still a progress
- While most people stop when they are tired, I stop when I am done
- Most people live their whole lives without ever contemplating what it means to be great.
- It was merely an attempt to see what was humanely possible
- Never doubt that we can redefine ourselves
- Those of us who are struggling with our self worth like I was as a child often build our identities around the very things that haunts us the most
- There are no prerequisites to becoming great
- My leadership style in Fort St. John was chalemeonic
- And if you need help, ask for it. Never be ashamed of it.
- A culture centred on respect and excellence
- We are all hindered by supposedly fixed social lines. Whatever ur gender, culture, religion, age u have been told ur kind does this or that. Break free
- The road to success is rarely a straight line. For me it has always been like a maze
- Whatever it takes for you to believe that you are better than good enough to achieve your dreams is what you must do
- To overcome all obstacles and bump up against the outer reaches of your capabilities is the pinnacle\\To evolve into the very best versions of ourselves. That is a moving target, and it isn't one time task
How do I like it? Kind of average. Long and arduous read which I find bit aggressive and boastful. Profane language throughout, perhaps natural to the author and being unpretentious, but I find at times irritating. Pushing that hard on yourself disrespecting even medical advise is insane advise. I have written long back why “never quit” is a bad advice and I still stand by it. I just can’t imagine someone running 200+ miles with a severe knee disease such a way that you need to take break to drain the fluid accumulation, almost unbelievable. Pushing that hard just for the sake of pushing is berserk, something no one should do.
For a polar opposite perspective, consider reading Quitting: A Life Strategy by Julia Keller (a summary here). Here is a quote:
That notion goes against virtually everything we’re taught to believe about the resiliency of champions, about their nonstop drive and relentless sense of purpose. But maybe resilience can mean more than just overcoming obstacles, more than just clenching your fists and ignoring pain and powering your way through. Maybe resilience — paradoxically — can also mean the willingness to quit.
After reading I looked up some of the places mentioned in the book, for instance Natchez Trace, Fort St. John, Moab 240 etc. Indeed kindled wanderlust in me, I wish to do some solo trips to such locations very soon, perhaps solo biking. How I wish we have such scenic bike paths here in India. I haven't even aware of one such a trail in this big country. Not Even One, that is such a disappointment. Let me try to find some green tunnel corridors in India, next best thing. Not sure it exist (if you know any, please comment below). I also never heard of smokejumping, skydiving at forest fires to extinguish the fire. Its an interesting mix of entertaining adventure (skydiving) and a noble cause (fighting wildfire).
Overall, the book is passable.
