Every day, we wake up. Every day, we are gifted with the beauty of life. I understand there does exist oppression, wealth inequality and a nation that feels polarized, but for the sake of this article, put that aside for just a moment. Friendships, togetherness, the ability to grow, the ability to find purpose, the ability to chase dreams, I consider these the finer things in life. I do believe materialism can bring happiness, but without the finer things in life, materialism is nothing. This article isn’t to touch on the destination of our goals, but to touch on the journey.

It is important to set goals and be ambitious in life. We all have different wants in life, and I’m not here to sway you from what makes you happy, but hear me out on this. You only live once. Why not make the most of it? What is your dream goal in life? Chase it. It’s a long life, what do you have to lose? Take the risk, unless you’re okay with settling. Now that you have constructed a goal in life, think of a sub-goal, maybe something you can accomplish within 5-10 years (or less). Now think of another short-term goal, and another, and another, until you’re to the point of “day by day” goals. Each day we have the opportunity to accomplish something. We are gifted with life, and life is one crazy roller coaster of a ride. If we’re lucky, we’re probably a quarter of the way through with life, maybe a little less. Looking in retrospect, how do you feel about your life so far? Are you completely satisfied? Are there any chances you regret not taking? Goals you shied away from? Risks you’ll never know the answer to? Life isn’t supposed to be all smiles and happy feelings. Embrace the good times, but also the bad. A diamond doesn’t start out polished and shining. It’s time to find out who you are as a person. You can do this through what I call, “The David Goggins Mentality.”

David Goggins was in his early to mid 20s weighing around 300 pounds, working as an exterminator, when he decided to change his life. Goggins decided he was going to be a Navy Seal. He failed at first, finding himself crying in his mother’s house ready to give up. Goggins didn’t though. He got through it. He started running (and walking) a couple miles a day, each time going a little farther than before. Eventually, Goggins would conquer Hell Week, one of the hardest things a human can go through. Not only did he go through Hell Week, but also went through it three times … in one year. When he got out of the Seals, he became a super-marathon runner, participating in 100-plus mile marathons. Goggins also holds the world record for pull-ups in a 24-hour time period (4,030). Goggins is 43 years old and claims to be in the best shape of his life. A man that was once in his 20s, weighing around 300 pounds, all it took was for him to believe in himself. He could have easily settled, but he didn’t.

So what is, the David Goggins mentality? Well, it’s simple … or is it? It’s actually the complete opposite. Every day, challenge yourself to do something that sucks. Take a cold shower. Swim for two hours. Talk to that person you like. The theme is simple: conquer something that is not an easy task to accomplish. Prove to yourself you have the ability to conquer your fears. Find out how far you’re willing to go. Do this and you will begin to break barriers. Accept the fact something is going to suck and conquer it. You’ll learn a lot about yourself, and you’ll grow in the process. You might fail, but at least you’ll have no regrets. Stop looking at failure as a bad thing. There’s no such thing as failure, just lessons.