Start Organizing Your Life
David Goggins is a retired United States Navy SEAL – serving as the 36th African American to join the Navy SEALs. At the current moment, David wears many different hats: ultra-endurance athlete, public speaker, and author of two memoirs – to name a few. His first book, “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds” became a New York Time’s Best Seller, amassing over 5 million copies sold.
Though he is now a very successful man – what now seems to be has not always been.
Prior to joining the SEALs, Goggins lived a life which he describes as “pure hell.” Overweight, under-educated and far from motivated.
He couldn’t read until he was well into his teenage years.
He was raised in the shadows of extreme domestic abuse.
There was no one pushing him – no one cared to see him succeed.
And still, he did. In the most obscure of ways, sure. But, he did nonetheless.
David has, perhaps somewhat unintentionally, transformed the lives of millions of individuals, through his words and actions. By revealing his unfiltered life story, he has captivated the attention of so many, and inspired them to take action – to take back their lives.
Just he did so many years ago.
I’ll spare you every minute detail of his journey, and urge you to read his books instead.
Order Your Life
Now into the meat and potatoes of what I sat down to write about: a quote from David Goggins presents itself as a sort of contrast from most of what he says and how he operates.
Typically, he is intense. He’s to the point, and addresses everything from a black and white perspective – no room for gray area, no abstract thoughts.
That being said, he once drew this outstanding parallel from your mind to your garage. Seems peculiar, I understand, but hear me out.
A garage can be one of two things:
- An overpriced storage unit, filled to the brim with unnecessary junk.
- A useful space to organize and store just about anything that doesn’t belong or simply doesn’t fit inside the house itself.
Let’s consider the former; in an instance of an under-utilized garage space. You’ve got a beautiful home, with tons of potential. The garage is of the two stall variety. Both cars sit in the driveway – why?
Well, because it’s filled with unnecessary junk. There is no room for the important stuff, like your cars.
Everything inside is out of whack, and stands as too tall a task to ever possibly tackle. That is why you leave it be, and you pretend. You pretend that it’s not an issue. The impending rust on your car isn’t a byproduct of your lack of organization – your lack of care. How could it be? That can’t be you.
But, it is. Who else could it be? Who else is responsible for the mess that has been made of that space?
This is about your garage. But, really, as Goggins identifies, it is about your mind.
If your mind is all jumbled up, and filled with far too many unnecessary things; there is no room for the important stuff. Right? Just like the car and the garage.
Consider this, if only for a moment.
What is taking over your mind? Is it a big, jumbled mess? Why is it the way it is?
What I’ve come to understand is this: if there is no place for it in your garage, if it serves no real purpose, and if it will just eat up precious space – throw it out. Get rid of it. Make room for something important.
The same is to be said for our mind.
A thought serves no real purpose? It offers you nothing positive? To the trash it goes.
What is important in this life; your family, your fitness, your health – physical and mental, and your education – these things are the car of your garage. These are the things that you must make room for, because if we don’t, they’re left out in the rain.
This, of course, must be done intentionally. Just as your garage will not organize itself, your mind won’t either. If junk is all that it is offered, that is what it will take.
Choose wisely.
Forged in Fire 
Leave a comment