David Goggins is a man who knows how to set audacious goals and is able to achieve them.
Not only are the ex-Navy SEAL’s workout routines completely brutal, but he has run ultra -marathons to the point of breaking his feet, competed in double Ironman triathlons and recovered from some of the nastiest injuries an athlete can face, to name just a few of his achievements.
How does he do it? It’s not just because he is in peak physical condition, it is the fact he is also incredibly mentally tough.
In a recent Instagram video, which sees him running along to camera in typical David Goggins-style, he explains how setting goals help him achieve these superhuman feats.
WATCH: David Goggins Explains Why You’re Goals Aren’t Good Enough
In the video, Goggins explains that a man, who is a “big-time goal setter” pulled up to him at some traffic lights and asked him “why am I not getting better?” This is a question that the majority of us will have likely asked ourselves at some stage in our lives, especially if we’re regulars at the gym.
Goggins says he replied to the man asking, “Do you have fear in not reaching those goals?”
“You’re setting goals you know you can reach and when you do that, that fear, that insecurity, that doubt, that’s where you grow.”
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The crux of what David Goggins is getting at is pretty simple: setting goals you know you can achieve means you are not pushing the boundaries of your capabilities.
It is an easy enough concept, but why do so few practice what they preach? Goggins attributes this to the fear of failure.
He says, “We are so afraid of failure that we always try to set ourselves up for success.”
“So many negative things come with failure… [but] if we didn’t have people out there who weren’t afraid of setting massive goals, we wouldn’t have half the s*** we have today.”
Former Australian NRL player Ben Lucas has previously spoken to DMARGE about setting goals, specifically in the context of building the perfect summer rig in only a short space of time.
He said that, while it’s not wrong at all to set audacious goals, you do still need to be realistic, “It is better to have a long term plan, but little incremental goals along the way to keep you motivated.”
If this sounds like you, then there is at least some solace in knowing you’re not alone. A number of celebrities have admitted to being scared of failing, including the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps. He famously once said, “I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work even if they are uncomfortable at the time.”
When speaking on not achieving goals, Bill Gates has reportedly said, “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”
The takeaway from what David Goggins is saying, is that you shouldn’t be afraid to set audacious goals that others say you cannot achieve. Even if it ends in failure, you will have grown as a person for pushing the boundaries.
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