US Navy SEAL David Goggins on the Need to be Driven

Check out this awesome video with David Goggins talking about his childhood and what made him decide to become a SEAL—how you have to be driven to get your goals, not just motivated.

That’s where mental toughness plays a huge role in your success. There will be days when you feel like your a** is dragging—even that you don’t give a sh*t about your goal.

It’s important to remember that when you’re there—that’s your mind telling you to quit because you’re out of your comfort zone. And that’s exactly what you want.

Yes, you may feel totally shtty, but being driven means you’re not letting those sht thoughts run the show and you’re still able to focus on getting to your goal.

There were lots of times when I was at BUD/S when I was cold and wet and raw from sand. My scalp hurt from carrying the boat on my head. There were times I thought my shoulder and arm were going to fall off my body from log pt. When you feel like that, you’re not going to feel motivated.

So I’d get myself focused on what I wanted at the end of all that—I wanted my trident.

The difference between the people who quit and those of us who earned our tridents was we stayed driven, even though there may have been times we wanted to quit. Being driven keeps you from doing that.

After you watch the video, tell us what was most inspiring to you about his journey and you stay driven.

Want to test yourself? Try this workout David posted on his Facebook page:

This is a great workout for people looking to improve their upper body and grip strength.

I did a lot of these getting ready for SEAL training. The idea is to go back and forth as many times as you can. Try to get 3 sets of pull-ups using different grips.

Choose a number of pull-ups that work for you. Go until your grip gives out. If you have to drop your number of pull-ups that’s fine, keep going until you fall off the monkey bars.

Once you fall off, rest 90 seconds and go again. It’s also good to superset push-ups with this workout. Meaning once you lose your grip on the monkey bars, drop off and do push-ups. Choose a number that challenges you. Once done, rest 90 seconds and repeat.

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QUESTION: I’m really stuck in a rut I can’t seem to get out of. I want to get back to exercising, but it’s like my day always gets away from me. How can I create a routine and stick to it?

ANSWER: Check out this article: 10 Tips to Break Through Mental Barriers.

QUESTION: I am having a real hard time with the pull-ups in your workouts. I thought I was strong, but I can’t knock out more than maybe 2-3 and then I have to rest. How can I do more?

ANSWER: Check out this article to help—How to Use Negatives to Improve Pull-Ups.