David Goggins says if you want to build unstoppable mental strength, eliminate these 7 excuses from your life

by Lachlan Brown | November 22, 2025, 11:44 am

If there’s one thing David Goggins is known for, it’s his refusal to let excuses run the show.

The man has turned suffering into an art form, discipline into a lifestyle, and mental toughness into something that feels almost superhuman.

But here’s the thing: his mindset isn’t reserved for Navy SEALs or ultra-endurance athletes.

It’s not about running 100 miles or doing thousands of pull-ups.

It’s about the daily excuses that quietly weaken us long before adversity even arrives.

And trust me, I’ve seen those excuses show up in my own life more times than I’d like to admit.

Goggins’ philosophy is simple.

If you want unbreakable mental strength, you need to cut out the mental loopholes you keep giving yourself.

The little stories that let you stay comfortable, stuck, or small.

So today, let’s talk about seven of the most common excuses that Goggins would tell you to eliminate immediately.

Let’s dive in.

1) “I don’t feel motivated”

If you’ve ever listened to a Goggins interview, you know he thinks motivation is one of the most overrated forces in the world.

And honestly? He’s right.

Motivation is fickle.

It’s the friend who shows up only when the weather is nice.

What happens when you’re tired? When it’s cold? When life has been punching you in the face for weeks?

Motivation disappears.

What Goggins points to instead is discipline.

That gritty, unsexy consistency that doesn’t care how you feel in the moment.

I remember a period a few years ago when I kept telling myself I’d write more when I felt inspired.

And shocker. I didn’t write much.

The moment I set a daily writing schedule, everything changed.

I didn’t always feel like doing it, but doing it anyway created momentum that motivation never gave me.

You don’t need motivation to start. You need motion.

Motivation might show up later, but even if it doesn’t, you’ll already be moving.

2) “I don’t have time”

This one hits close to home for almost everyone.

Goggins would say: You do have time. You’re just choosing something else.

And while that can feel harsh, it’s also extremely liberating.

Because when you realize your schedule is a reflection of your priorities, you take back control.

One of the most useful lessons I learned from Buddhist teachings is the idea of honest self-inquiry.

Before saying “I don’t have time,” it’s worth asking:

Is this actually true?

Or is there something I’m avoiding?

Most of the time, it’s the second one.

A 20-minute workout. A 10-minute meditation. One page of writing.

A difficult conversation. A moment to stretch, breathe, or reflect.

Time exists. Excuses swallow it.

And the moment you reclaim those minutes, your sense of agency grows.

That is mental strength in action.

3) “I’m too tired”

Being genuinely exhausted is real. Bodies get depleted. Burnout happens.

Rest matters.

But there’s a difference between actual exhaustion and the mental fog that shows up as soon as something feels hard.

Goggins talks about the 40 percent rule.

The idea that when your mind says you’re done, you’re only at about 40 percent of your actual capacity.

I’ve talked about this before, but the mind taps out long before the body does.

I’ve experienced this while running.

There are moments my legs feel heavy, my breath tight, and my brain starts whispering, “Just stop.”

But five minutes later, if I push through, something changes.

I’m still moving. Still breathing. Still capable.

Was I really too tired?

Or did my brain simply want a shortcut?

Many times, “I’m tired” is a disguise for fear, discomfort, or resistance.

Try asking yourself:

Am I physically exhausted, or mentally checking out?

That one question can rewrite your whole day.

4) “I’ll start tomorrow”

Ah yes. The ultimate self-sabotage classic.

If motivation is the unreliable friend, tomorrow is the friend who keeps canceling plans.

Goggins is brutally honest about procrastination.

When you postpone something you know you should do, you’re training your mind to negotiate against your own progress.

Tomorrow becomes next week.

Next week becomes next year.

And suddenly, you’re wondering why your life looks the same.

Eastern philosophy often talks about the power of the present moment.

Not in a soft, flowery way, but as a practical truth.

Action only ever happens now. Not later.

The future is built from today’s decisions, not tomorrow’s promises.

Whatever you want to start, start it at the smallest possible level today.

Not a marathon. Not a full overhaul. Just one step.

Momentum grows from the present.

5) “I’m not good enough”

This excuse is quieter than the others.

It’s the hidden one.

The one that disguises itself as humility or realism.

But make no mistake. It’s one of the most corrosive beliefs you can carry.

Goggins grew up with trauma, school struggles, and self-doubt that would have destroyed most people.

But he didn’t let his past define his future.

He built strength by attacking that story head-on.

We all have a version of this narrative.

I’ve felt it in countless phases of my life.

Writing my first book, starting a business, even publishing early articles online.

There was always that whisper: Who are you to do this?

But that voice is a liar.

Skill comes from reps. Confidence comes from experience. Worthiness comes from showing up, not from being perfect.

You don’t need to be good enough to begin.

You become good enough by beginning.

6) “It’s not the right time”

Have you noticed there is never a perfect time to do anything difficult?

There’s always something happening.

Work stress. Family stuff. Money pressure. Uncertainty. Fatigue.

If you wait for a flawless moment, you’ll be waiting forever.

Goggins talks a lot about taking action in spite of your circumstances.

Because adversity doesn’t disappear. It changes shape.

A few years ago, when I was juggling multiple projects, traveling constantly, and feeling stretched thin, I postponed a personal goal I cared deeply about.

I told myself I’d pick it up when things settled down.

Spoiler. Things didn’t settle down.

If anything, life became messier.

And I realized that waiting for the right time was just avoidance dressed up as practicality.

Your circumstances don’t have to be ideal. They just have to be real.

Start where you are.

It’s the only place you can start from anyway.

7) “People like me can’t do that”

This is the most limiting excuse of all because it attacks your identity, not your situation.

It’s the belief that your background, personality, past mistakes, income level, age, or energy somehow disqualifies you from doing something meaningful.

But Goggins’ entire life proves that identity is flexible.

You’re not a fixed character in a predetermined story.

You’re an ongoing rewrite.

In Buddhism, there’s a powerful concept called anatta, which means no fixed self.

The idea that you’re not a solid, unchangeable being.

You’re a process. A constant becoming.

When you drop the identity-based excuses,
such as “I’m not athletic,” or “I’m not disciplined,” or “I’m not confident,” you give yourself permission to evolve.

Your identity is not a prison.

It is raw material.

Change becomes possible the moment you decide it is.

Final words

Excuses are comfortable. They feel safe.

They protect us from discomfort, embarrassment, or failure.

But they also keep us small.

They build walls around our potential and make the world feel tighter than it really is.

Goggins’ approach isn’t about becoming some hardened, emotionless machine.

It’s about reclaiming your mind from the stories that shrink you.

When you eliminate these seven excuses, something powerful happens.

You start trusting yourself. You start acting earlier. You stop negotiating with self-doubt. You build momentum that doesn’t crack under pressure.

Mental strength doesn’t show up overnight.

It is built one honest decision at a time.

And the moment you take full responsibility for your inner world, everything else starts to shift.

You don’t need to run ultra-marathons to be mentally tough.

You just need to stop letting excuses decide the direction of your life.

Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.