The Resilient Mind - 1 Second Is All It Takes to Lose Everything - David Goggins

Episode Date: August 5, 2026

[Explicit]An accomplished endurance athlete, Goggins has completed over 60 ultra-marathons, triathlons, and ultra-triathlons, setting new course records and regularly placing in the top five. He once held the Guinness World Record for pull-ups completing 4,030 in 17 hours, and he’s a sought after public speaker.This episode is brought in partnership with Chris Williamson: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisWillxTake action and strengthen your mind with The Resilient Mind Journal. Get your free digital copy today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/Download_JournalExplore tools from past guests of the podcast. Some links below are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you:💓 HeartMath: https://www.heartmath.com/resilient🧠 Muse: https://choosemuse.com/resilientmind🌿 Brain Ritual: https://www.brainritual.com/THERESILIENTMIND🌍 The Resilient Mind Podcast is a proud member of 1% for the Planet — building resilient minds and a resilient planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let me use Hell Week. This is a perfect example. Hell Week is 130 hours. And 130 hours is a lot of seconds. A lot of seconds. And if you lose, let's say you win every second but one. You lost. It only takes one second for you to lose the whole thing.

So the one second decision is just that. You're in a situation where life is sucking. let's say you're in extreme cold water and your life is flashing before your eyes. Every time that wave goes over your head, your thought process is, I got to get the fuck out of this water. And you're in Hell Week. And you're hour one of 130 hours. It's all fun in games, okay?

Because at the beginning of Hell Week, the guns are going off. It's like a pep rally. So you're hyped up. and your boys are linked arms and you're getting sprayed. It's like a pep rally. The structure yelling at your bombs are going off. Concussion grenades, blanks from in-60s. Yeah, hoo-ya.

Yeah. Yeah. Motherfuck. Yeah. But then what they do is they shut that shit off. They shut it off. All that hoo-ya, all that hype gets real quiet. And they march you out to that surf zone.

for something called surf torture. And it's that water, that Pacific Ocean is coldish. So no more PEP rally. You're now in your head. You're linked arms with, you know, your brothers beside you. You don't know if they could be there long or not. You don't care. You think about yourself.

You lay back and that first wave hit you. Your mind goes straight from hour two all the way to hour 130. You can't process five days. this shit. You're now in a, you, like, I gotta get out of here. You're in fighter flight. It's cold. I can't be cold this long. And then this is that one second decision comes in. You forgot every reason why you wanted to be there. You don't care about seals. You don't care about any of this. You don't care about fighting for your country. You don't care about that goddy gold trident that they put on your chair. You don't care about any of that anymore. All you want to do is go back home. You want the warmth. You

may want something to eat, you want your girl to hold you, all those things of comfort are there in that one second. And this is where people lose. So what I do in that one second, because we all think about quitting when it's hard. But what you have to do in that one second is hard to process information during pain. Because that pain takes over and you can't think rationally. You're thinking about fight or flight, save yourself. That's not a rational thought. It's not a thought that's going to get you through hard times. Most people fail that one second. So what happens is what I do in that one second. And there's a bigger process to all this, but in that one second, I physically stayed in that water. Because if I get out of the water, I quit. So I physically

stay in the water. But mentally, I'm on the beach with the instructors. And the instructors is cold outside, so they got these parkers on. They got their cup of Joe, and they're warm because they've already been through it. So now it's your turn to go through it. So mainly, I get back with them. I'm still in the water physically, but mentally I'm back with them. I'm chilling. I got my parker on.

And now I'm thinking logically because I'm warm now. Mentally I'm warm. I've taken that one second. Let's not quit yet, Gaggans. Let's think about your options. Where are you going to end up if you quit this shit? Where are you going to go? Where are you going to say to yourself?

Because you know you're going to get warm. The second you get out of this water, you can take a shower, and you can be warm. And in five days, you could be out. So I start thinking logically. I calm my brain down because your brain just wants to get the fuck out. Ring the bell, push your helmet down, get warm, and then you're really fucked. And these are the things you have to think about the one second decision. So that's what that's all about.

It's about gaining control of your mind, putting things back in the way. the proper perspective and then saying, I really do want to be here. And I'm going to have a bunch of these one seconds through this 130-hour journey. And I have to learn to control these. Because if I fail one of these one seconds, I will not be a seal. I will not be a doctor. I will not be a lawyer. I will not be whatever the fuck it is.

So that's how important that one-second decision is. It's all about your mind takes control of you. You have to say, fuck you. I run this motherfucker. And that's what that's all about. Projecting yourself forward to see what are the consequences of failing, what are the consequences of stopping.

Yep. Is about as powerful of a motivation strategy as I can think of, you know? Because what you're doing is you're trying to optimize right now to stop the discomfort. That's right. But what you're going to pay for that in is shame and guilt and regret long term.

That's right. So what you need to be able to do is bundle all of that up that is as yet unfelt but will last for way way way longer you know the future is much longer than now that's right the future is going to extend out up until the day that you die and the now is just for now and even 130 hours is just 130 hours that's right and you get to look back and do you look back with pride and glory or do you look back with shame and guilt that's it that's that's the one second you just summarized it right there and most people feel those one seconds and then that one second leads to 20 years 30 years

40 years of fuck I have people who have been through training with me ranger school seal training Air Force training and I get calls from them today and they have great lives and all they talk about is how they failed in that one moment and they can't even great they can't even enjoy their life now because they're now warm they're now warm there's no more suffering there's no more suffering there's no more suffering for me either and we're in the same boat now but you're suffering so we're not suffering but you're thinking about what you could have been i am exactly what i should have been and that's where people start to lose it because now i realize that in that one second i go through all that i know how it's going to feel because i failed so many times before

failure is the ultimate thing man i feel so many times before that's why i'm looking at failure anymore I look at my first, second and third attempt. So that's what that's all about, man. Well, I mean, you went back to go and do Moab again the second time, which is your second attempt. That's right. Had you banged your knee up? It was pretty bad in between the first and the second one.

It was pretty bad way before either one of them. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. It's been jacked up now for about 20 years. I've seen some gnarly photos of it recently. It looks interesting. Yeah.

So all those miles I've run on this thing, it's, it's been a lot of, uh, it's been a lot of, it's lot of gut checks. So you go back, you do Moab a second time. Yep. And then you turn your ass into like a hamburger or something as well. So it's not just the knee, it's the ass as well now. Yeah. So at Mile 201, we have a good video of it. Matter of fact, Jennifer is like, there's some people up. So 201 is a spot where I was really finished in the first Moab. So that was a way market checkpoint for you the second time. So Jennifer is extremely happy right now because I'm there. Yes.

And she knows I'm doing well now. I'm doing good. We're going to get through this. And so she's videoing me as I'm coming up this climb on this road. And she goes, there's some people up here who want to meet you. You're doing so amazing. And I said, my ass is fucked up. You need to get the fucking desicent cream.

and it's literally for like 20 fucking miles that like people don't get it man when you get raw like that bro and you're walking because you the chafing of my ass it was hamburger meat and I'm like so she's all fucking happy and shit she's and I just look at her and I'm going to put the video up on social media because it's but she's a fucking trooper bro so my shorts were Absolutely raw dogged. Yeah. So when you pull them down, it's just blood. And so she goes in the bathroom because she didn't know what she was going to see.

She has a desicent cream. She walks in there and I pull them down and spread them open. And I go put that shit all up in there. So she goes in for the kill. And she's putting this desicent cream all over the fucking place, man. And you know what? This is the funny thing about it. that's when you know you got a good motherfucker with you, man.

When you're that raw, you're that fucked up, and she's just like nothing. It was like saying, hey, can you like put some lotion on my back before I go lay out? That's how she was in there, man, getting in it. That's it, man. Have you considered that that might be the most traumatic event of all of the things that you've done in your life, what you asked Jennifer to do that day? No, not at all. She did worse.

So that Leadville chapter When I talk about after I finished And then the ultra-ravelling Or unraveling had begun When I lay down So Oh that was on the duvet And you did another word duvet

Yeah I know what the fuck Duvet man Okay fair enough Fair enough Up from the streets We call it blankets Anything that you wrap up is a fucking blanket Cool

So I'm laying on the duvet And she's all fucking like About her damn ratings is that fucking the Airbnb shit and I'm really like hey I'm about to shit right here because it's not your place no okay no right yes I can see why so that scene is uh is is is was was bad but once again see like a crime like a crime scene it's yes it was a crime scene what does a morning look like for you at the moment have you got a routine of some kind yes I run every single morning so that's time you up when are you waking up about five five 30 so

So every morning starts with the run. And that's because that's the one thing I hate to do more than anything in the world. So that's like my cup of coffee. And I'm all about armoring yourself. So the second you leave your house and the second you open your phone, the second you do any of that, you are now letting them poison in cancer. So I make sure a lot of things you can't avoid.

So as I get up, I start to armor. plate my mind and body. Like a person's going to war, you put your body armor on. That's what I'm doing on that run. I'm waking up and I'm giving myself all this armor. So when I come out in the world, look at that phone, I'm ready. I'm not waking up late. I'm not rushing around.

I'm not disorganized because I know I'm going to get hit in the fucking mouth. There's an art to get hit in the fucking mouth. And that is why these things are important. You have to wake up and you have to give you. your self-belief. You have to give yourself confidence. So it starts with that run. So after the run, I come home, I eat something small. How long's the run typically at the moment? Nowhere under 12 miles. So 12 miles is the minimum. And what are you getting that done in? How long? It depends. Right now I'm running a heart rate. So I'm doing like 815s, 830s because I'm retraining

right now. What's that? Is that zone two for you? Zone two. Because of the leg surgery I had. So I'm going back starting from scratch. So anywhere from about an hour 30 to two hours, I run every day. So you're fasted on the morning. Yes. Straight out. Straight out. 90 minutes to two hours of running back, eat. Eat and I'm in the gym. So, and then after that, to whatever's on the plan for the day. That's how that works every day. Are you still doing your stretching? Because you've got two hours of, every night. Two hours of meditation, 90 minutes to two hours of running. How long is the gym? Depends 45 to an hour and a half. Okay. Stretching meditation, run, eat, gym. Is this something I'm missing, Jennifer? Oh yeah. Yeah. Forget about that. You cycle as well. Yeah. How long you're cycling? It just depends. I do stationary bike right now a lot. What are you using? Is it like a what bike or something similar? Yeah, something similar. So I put my bike on a like trainer and I cycle. Yep.

At least three or four days a week, I'll do that. So that's your day. There's no, there is no room for anything else. Yeah, there is. A lot of room. So there's 24 hours and I use it all pretty, pretty well. How's your sleep? What's your sleep?

It's really good. Okay. It is now. Eight hoursish, something like that? Seven, eight hours. Yeah. Well, you need to with this sort of volume. Seven, eight hours.

And you're still doing your stretching stuff? Every night. So you've got a four hour block basically of stretching and meditation. No, that's all than one block. You combine the two, right? Yeah, that's all in one block. Cool. Yep.

That's one hell of a day. It is. And it's been like that for seven years. But going back to what you said before about needing to cap success, you wouldn't be able to fit even one-tenth of that in. Exactly. If you were chasing down. Exactly. Yep.

That's exactly it. So if all that's fucked up, that's why I got a cap success. Because I can't put that in. And that's my growth factor. So, you know, that's my human growth factor. You said before about how you build up self-esteem and confidence and stuff. And there's this quote from one of my friends, Alex Homozy, that says, you don't become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror,

but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are, outwork yourself doubt. Yes. That's the nailed. Nailed. Completely nailed. Yes. Because a lot of people will, and some of these motivational people out here,

It's the funniest thing in the world of me. They'll go and say, when you wake up in the morning, pound your chest. You know, fucking look at yourself in the mirror and do all this fucking bullshit. I hope it works. What works for me is that everyday resume,

the things I know of accomplish, the things I know I've done, real hard work, the real calluses on my mind, the real calluses on my hands. That's it. You don't need to pound your chest in the mirror of the fuck anymore

if you have that. It seems like, especially with confidence, right, or self-esteem, there's a relationship between confidence and competence. So what you're looking to do is try and have what you believe that you can do, be ahead of what you can do. Now, you're not looking for it to be delusional. You don't want it to be able to believe that you can do something like fly, right? But you need to have a relationship between the two. But what people are asking for is for their confidence to be so far ahead of their competence that without having even being competent at anything in the beginning. And that's just delusion.

That's fantasy. Right. Well, I believe that you have to build belief. Belief is like there's an after-school special belief where the mom says believe in yourself, and that's all great, but there's also a built belief. And the built belief is one where you are constantly, like for me, I came from a bad place. How I build belief is through the daunting tasks I put myself through. So that's proof positive that I can.

So it correlates. And that's how this piece of shit kid that I once thought I was built belief by saying, hmm, I was in three hell weeks. I went to Ranger School. I tried out for Delta Selection. Undeniable stack of proof. That is proof, motherfucker. So whenever you think, whenever you think you can't,

the confidence comes from the thing that you built. you must build belief you must build confidence it can't be like hey um i'm gonna go knock that shit out you got to look over here and say i can knock that shit out it's belief and it's built on what you put in to yourself another friend sent me a message this morning knowing that we had this this big thing that we've been working toward for a long time today he said uh nietzsche said i know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and impossible. The fact that something seems impossible shouldn't be a reason to not pursue it. That's exactly what makes it worth pursuing. Where would the courage and greatness be if success was certain and there was no risk? The only true

failure is shrinking away from life's challenges. No, that one also. Two for two. No that one also, man. Yeah, it's that dealing with laziness and self-doubt thing, I think. And I do wonder how many people use the look in the mirror, pound the chest, staring to your eyes, say your affirmations, don't get the results and then lose confidence. Well, that's part of it. A lot of this is limit to horizons. Limit to horizons are like, I use me as an example always. I came from a small town in Indiana where there was a handful of black families. and a lot of people in that town, when you come from a town of 8,000 people,

it's like we had a local plant, Great Dane. You're like, you know what? I want to work at Great Dane and get a house next to my mom. That's what you know. So many of us come from these small places in our mind that we're not willing to think outside of only what we've seen. our mind works in such a small compartment. And one thing I was able to do was to dream.

Many people, but don't make dreams your fucking master. But I was able to dream outside those fucking four walls of that small town. And until you're able to really put yourself into that dream, but don't make dreams your master, that's where you truly become what you're destined to become. What do you mean don't make dreams your master? A lot of people sit back and they dream about being a sports figure or dream about being a seal or dream about being an astronaut. And all it is is a motherfucking dream.

They don't put the work behind the dream. That dream has become their fucking master. When you become the master of your fucking dream is when you say, I want to go be a Navy SEAL and you say, okay, I'm going to lose 106 pounds in less than three fucking months. the dream was the one thing I thought about and the dream was now gone. Now what comes in, the dream goes away and the fucking laundry list

of fucking details and tasks come up. Got to do this, got to do this, got to do this, got to do this. That's when you become the master of your dream. So a lot of people out there dreaming. Ryan Holiday says, talking about the thing and doing the thing, vie for the same resources,

allocate yours appropriately. That's it. That's it. That's the way it works as well. That's the way that the brain works. You can actually get these kicks of dopamine by telling your friends about I'm going to be a Navy SEAL. I'm going to start my training next week. It's going to be great.

I'm going to feel like this. It feels good. It feels good to talk about that shit, man. It actually makes you feel good, makes you feel proud, all that shit. But guess what happens? That alarm clock goes off at 4 a.m. to train. I don't want to be a seal today. I don't want to be whatever today.

I'll start tomorrow. And that's the usual pattern of people's lives. That's why I talk about clearing out the mind. Until you really want to do something, you always get to be a talker. You always get run your fucking mouth. Thank you for listening. Continue strengthening your mind by subscribing and listening to our other episodes.