It is rare to come across an enigmatic figure like David Goggins and not be inspired by his vision and mission. Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman had already invited him to a productive conversation where the duo discussed how willpower worked to expand the brain in surprising ways. Recently, he reflected on the meeting at a Q&A session in Sydney and talked about some behind-the-scenes situations that made him respect the athlete more.
Goggins often comes across as an intensely motivated individual who stuck to his beliefs and adopted a no-nonsense attitude toward his goals. And when Dr. Huberman met him on multiple occasions, he confirmed that the athlete was just as intense in real life as he comes across online.
Recalling one of his core memories with Goggins from 2016, where he met him at an event, the neuroscientist admitted his true thoughts. He remembered how the ex-Navy SEAL ran about 14 miles to the airport after the event with his luggage.
“And I’m thinking to myself ‘this guy…he’s nuts! And I love him!’. I mean…he’s really that guy!”
However, the thing that fascinated Dr. Huberman the most was how Goggins didn’t care for anyone’s opinions or thoughts. He just went for what he felt was right, and that was the best thing he could do for himself. Goggins went through massive amounts of weight loss within a few months and ran miles worth of distances to stay in shape. All of this he could pull off because of his extremely strong willpower and the fire to commit to his goal.
Dr. Huberman also expressed interest in the science behind willpower and how Goggins successfully harnessed the strength to fulfill his goals. Turns out that increasing challenges and doing tasks that an individual didn’t want to make some significant changes in the structure of the brain.
“It seems that doing things that are difficult, that we don’t enjoy, or that we have to push ourselves to do, grow and enhance the activity within the anterior mid singulate cortex.”
Ultimately, all of this boiled down to how one can use the benefits of performing difficult tasks in preparing themselves to tackle stress. Dr. Huberman contributed to the conversation with his extensive interaction with Goggins.
How Dr. Andrew Huberman viewed David Goggins’ resilience as a power
Goggins’ role as an endurance athlete has perhaps dictated his way of thinking to such an extent that he views his goals as a bunch of challenging tasks to power through. With sheer willpower alone, he was able to conquer some of the toughest physical challenges he faced in the form of losing weight and training his mind. But his real secret was to tune out the voices from the world and tune in to one’s inner dialogue.
In his previous interaction with Dr. Huberman, he revealed how he knew he sounded harsh at times or came off as too intense. However, it ultimately worked out well for his successful endeavors. He wouldn’t have gotten any far having a softer stand towards himself, and the strict inner monologue was necessary for him to push through. Perhaps that strong voice was what made fans follow Goggins and his vision, and now that we know the scientific connection to his attitude, more people could vouch for his techniques.
