How much more are you capable of?

David Goggins went from not being able to run one mile to being able to run over one hundred miles. 

I ran my first 10 straight miles before I was 10. My dad used to run every day, 10 miles per day. On Christmas Eve when I was 9 I asked if I could run it with him. He said yes. I didn’t know it was even that remarkable to go out and put down 10 miles. 

Did you know you can teach a kid to read even before they can talk? My mom bought such a program off an infomercial and put it to work. She would lay all these large print notecards on the ground that had words like ball and house printed on them. Then, she’d tell me “Jason, go find dog” and I’d crawl over to the notecard with dog on it and pick it up. 

I’m grateful I had such opportunities early on to just crush through normal limitations. I wish my parents would’ve learned their own lesson, because while they were great in these few areas, they, too, limited themselves so much in other areas of life. 

When I decided to start my business, my dad told me not to do it - too risky.

See, my dad wanted to be a state champion in wrestling and he gave it all only to come up short. He didn’t want to see me come up short like he did. But I didn’t care. There is no coming up short. You give it the best you got, what else is there? I had to tell my dad “You’re probably right. I probably will fail. But I’m going to do it anyway.”

And I “failed” for several years, until I ran out of ways to fail. Then I won. Big. 

The greatest thing I ever did for my dad is prove him long. He lived under the shadow of his own father, and could never shake it. I broke the pattern. My dad’s respect for me is through the roof because he was able to see me be the man he wanted to be. I hope my son does the same for me. 

My mother is an intelligent, caring, loving woman, but who had her share of trauma and demons she couldn’t quite shake for years, leading to a drug addiction and a 6 year prison stint. Part of realizing your potential is to heal the trauma, to grow from it - not have it take you under. 

It almost got me, but I broke the cycle. I had something to look forward to so much that I didn’t have much attention left for my fears.

Most people get stuck in the past while in the present which only creates a future like the past. 

I was fortunate that my life had so much turmoil. It forced my hand. I’d either grow from it or die by it. Most people aren’t so lucky. They are who Thoreau was referring to when he talked about leading lives of quiet desperation.

I want you to live a life of loud divination.